A Life in Colour
by TARDIS-set-adrift
Summary: Part 8 of the BG series. Aderyn has lost River and the Doctor doesn't know what to do. Paternoster Row brings her some comfort. But will the trip to Yorkshire and an amusement park help or will it just throw her life into a different perspective? COMPLETE
1. Forever Autumn

It was on rare, very rare, occasions that Aderyn went to River's house. It was a small house. River never saw the point in having somewhere large and extravagant. She wasn't there that often. She was usually at Aderyn's or off somewhere in space and time. But today, Aderyn knew she would be home.

Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door. The late autumn breeze sent a shower of orange and red leaves over her.

River smiled broadly when she saw Aderyn stood on the doorstep, brushing leaves out of her hair.

"Hi," Aderyn smiled "Sorry to drop in unannounced but I figured a spontaneous date night was in order." River picked a large leaf off of Aderyn's lapel and stepped aside.

For most of the day, they did nothing but talk and laugh. Aderyn had planned on going out for dinner, but a night in was proving too much fun. They opened a few bottles of beer and Aderyn cooked. She hated cooking, but there was no denying she was good at it. She was always good at the things she hated the most. Aderyn knew that this was her last night with River. She wanted to make it special, not to linger on what would be happening in the next few days. She gave River a gift. It was a sonic screwdriver. She said there was no reason why she shouldn't be able to give her wife a present. And argued that everyone needed a sonic screwdriver. Although River accepted it, it was with suspicion. After they had eaten the conversation began to fade. There was only so much entertainment they could get out of talking about the few things that had actually happened to them both over the last few weeks since they had last seen each other. Aderyn had been particularly down hearted last time. She had seen that there had only been one or two pages left in River's diary. She had been counting down the adventures she had left with River since Manhattan. Aderyn had caught sight of River's diary then and had been horrified by how few pages there had been left. But they had some good times. Aderyn had found it strange running from monsters and aliens with River, but it had been a good strange. They had laughed afterwards and had a few pleasantly relaxed evenings. Last time, River had taken Aderyn to the theatre to see a brilliant production of the Rocky Horror Show. And by the time they had gone back to Aderyn's cottage they were both happy and exhausted. But now, there was nothing else to focus on but River. And Aderyn knew that River deserved all of her attention.

"Are you alright, Oz?" River asked quietly, pulling Aderyn from her reminiscing.

"Yes, I'm fine." Aderyn lied quickly.

River stood and held out her hand. Aderyn took it and River pulled her to her feet and into a slow dance. Aderyn rested her head on River's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her.

It felt like River had given her life meaning. River was always there when she needed someone and the Doctor couldn't be there. But those days were over. After tonight, that would be it. The tears stared to flow as she clung to River, not wanting to let her go, but wanting to run away at the same time.

"Are you alright?" River asked again.

Inside her head, Aderyn screamed. No, no I'm not okay. I'm loosing everyone I love and you're next. This is the last time I'll see you. You're going to die. But as much as she wanted to say all of that, she couldn't. She knew she couldn't.

She took a deep shuddering breath "I'm just tired. I've not slept properly in a while. I think it's just catching up with me."

Still swaying gently to the music, River held Aderyn tighter "You'll be okay." she whispered.

But Aderyn knew she wouldn't be ok. Not for a while.

Despite River's protests, Aderyn didn't spend the night with her. She told River she had a meeting with her publisher the next day and had to be there early. In truth, she couldn't face spending a night with River, knowing that she would be gone by the time she woke up the next day. That was would happen. She would get a call during the night and she would leave before Aderyn woke up. Aderyn would wake up to find a note from River saying she had gone to do a job and would be back later. That's what always happened. Usually Aderyn got a message on the psychic paper when River was finished and that would be followed by a phone call or flying visit. But not this time. Aderyn knew she wouldn't be able to cope if she awoke to find a message from River, knowing that River would say she'd speak to her later, knowing that she wouldn't.

Her walk home was painful, each step away from River was like walking from warmth into freezing cold. As soon as Aderyn got home she locked the door and wrapped herself in a heavy blanket, watching the weather from her window. She watched as the sky darkened and the first few raindrops splattered against the window, perfectly imitating her mood. She fell into a restless sleep that seemed to last only minutes. When she woke up it took her a few minutes to realise why she had been feeling so miserable. She soon realised the psychic paper she had taken out of her pocket was no longer blank. She picked it up from the coffee table, where she had thrown it when she'd emptied her pockets. It was a message from River.

 _I've got a job at a library. Not sure what's going on with that but it shouldn't take me too long. I'll pop in later when I finish. Hope you're feeling better today x._

Aderyn's hearts shattered. She had the opportunity to tell River not to go. She could do that. But she didn't. She didn't know if she would be changing a fixed point. Unlike the Doctor, she didn't instantly know what was in flux and what was fixed. That was one Time Lord trait she hadn't inherited from the Doctor but really wished she had. She threw the psychic paper back on to the table, pulled the blanket over her head and let out a loud, pained sob.


	2. Expecting Something To Happen

The Doctor knew time had run out for River and Aderyn. But he tried to keep on with normal life while he waited. He knew Aderyn would want some company at some point when she would really need help. But what help could he be? Well, none. He hadn't coped well when he had lost Rose. But River and Aderyn had been married and he had once overheard a conversation between the two. They had talked about settling down properly, getting a place of their own and a pet. River had even mentioned a desire to adopt a kid. This was far more involved then he and Rose had been. He headn't been helpful, or even a good parent, when the Ponds had gone. And this would be slightly more heart breaking for Aderyn then that.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Clara asked, looking round the console at him. He'd spent the past few minutes staring, unseeing, at the controls.

"Yes, sorry. I'm just expecting something to happen." The Doctor muttered.

"Something good?"

The Doctor shook his head sadly "I wish it was."

"Then what is it?" Clara asked kindly.

The Doctor sighed "Aderyn's wife is about to die."

"How do you know that?" Clara asked slowly.

"It's very complicated," The Doctor took the psychic paper from inside his pocket, looked at it then put it back. He paced around the console and threw himself onto the chair. He jiggled his leg nervously. "Her time stream runs in the opposite direction. The first day we met her, she died to save Aderyn. We had no idea who she was. If you told me then that she would marry Aderyn in the future, I wouldn't have believed you. But they started dating, got to know each other. They got married in the middle of a combat zone then planned a proper wedding. I wish I could have been there for that one. She saved our lives so many times. Saved Aderyn more times then she would admit to."

"What's going to happen?" Clara sat next to him. It was odd seeing the Doctor so sad and not at all enthusiastic or jumping around.

"She'll go to the library and hook herself up to a mainframe to stop a self destruct sequence. It's difficult to explain," He said quietly. The TARDIS wheezed and the time rotor sprang into life. The Doctor ran to the console, fiddling with the scanner. "This is it. The TARDIS is taking us to her."  
_

Aderyn heard the TARDIS materialise. She ran into the back garden and straight into the TARDIS.

As soon as they had landed, the Doctor headed for the door. He was most of the way there when it was thrown open and Aderyn ran in. He caught a brief glimpse of her exhausted, tear streaked face before she buried it in his jacket. He put his arms around her and softened her fall as she sank to her knees, crying uncontrollably.


	3. Bring Her Here

The Doctor had dropped Clara home not long after the TARDIS had taken them to Aderyn. Aderyn had insisted that they carry on as normal, she was just going to tuck herself away somewhere. But Clara had opted to go home anyway. Aderyn had done exactly what she said she was going to do. She had shut herself away in her room. After a few hours of Aderyn's self inducednisolation, the Doctor peered around the door. She twitched and kicked out in her sleep, clearly having a bad dream. But the Doctor didn't wake her. He closed the door quietly, leaving it open just a fraction in case she needed him. The TARDIS, ever attentive to Aderyn's needs, had rearranged the corridors so Aderyn's room was close to the console room.

He picked up the phone from the console and waited patiently as it rang. He had no idea what time it would be, but he was out of his depth here. He knew he needed help with this. He was always a bit reluctant to admit when he needed help. But when it came to Aderyn, he would do anything.

"Yes, Doctor?" Came the groggy voice from the communicator.

"I need help," He garbled "River went to the library and Aderyn isn't coping well. I need help."

There was a yawn and a sigh "Bring her here."  
_

There was a gentle tap on the door and it creaked open enough for the Doctor to look around. "Good morning," He said. He walked into the room with a tray "I know you wouldn't really want food but I brought you a some tea." Aderyn pushed herself upright and the Doctor put the tea tray on the bed. When he turned to leave, Aderyn cleared her throat and patted the bed next to her. The Doctor sat nervously.

"So what are we doing today then?" She asked.

"Who says we're doing anything?"

Aderyn looked at the Doctor over her cup, the steam from the hot tea distorting his features. "I know what you're like Doctor. I get certain traits from you."

"I thought," The Doctor said slowly "That we could pay a visit to London."

Aderyn arched an eyebrow expertly "Victorian London?"

"Thought you could do with some relaxed time."

Aderyn smiled "I'd relax as much with them as I would with you. But I appreciate what you're doing."

The Doctor smiled with relief "That's good." He muttered.

"We're already there aren't we?" Aderyn guessed. The Doctor nodded.


	4. I Will Listen

When Aderyn entered the console room, she could hear hushed conversation outside the TARDIS door. She could hear the Doctor and she was certain he was talking to Vastra and Jenny. She couldn't hear exactly what was said, but as she walked towards the door, she was able to ascertain that the Doctor had contacted Madame Vastra last night. He hadn't been sure what to do. Aderyn rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door.

Jenny smiled happily at her as she closed the TARDIS door behind her. Vastra regarded her with concern.

The Doctor spent the day with an air of false cheer. Aderyn could tell he was wanting to go already, wanting to see where the TARDIS would take him next. When they finally got a moment alone the Doctor spoke constantly and nervously.

Aderyn sighed, interrupting him "Listen, Spaceman. Why don't you just go? I can see you don't want to be here. I know you too well."

"That wouldn't be fair." The Doctor mumbled.

"And what would you do if you stayed here? Blend into Victorian life? Hide in the TARDIS again?" Aderyn said bitterly.

The Doctor fidgeted nervously "That was different."

Aderyn put her cup and saucer on a small table and stood "Not really. As with last time, Doctor, you're out of your depth."

Aderyn left the drawing room and quickly found the library. The library at Paternoster Row had always been her favourite place. And once again, she found herself feeling safe and calm, sat in a corner between two bookcases. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, listening to the gentle ticking of the clock above the fire place. She was soon drifting into a doze. She was unaware that anyone had entered the room until a voice made her eyes snap open.

"The last time you sat there was when you came here after Amy and Rory were lost to you. Now Professor Song is gone and there you are again." Vastra said.

"It's comfortable here," Aderyn said quietly. "Has the Doctor gone?"

Vastra nodded "He said you weren't happy with him and he didn't want to make it worse."

Aderyn shrugged.

Vastra sat in a chair opposite Aderyn, crossed her legs and steepled her fingers, resting her chin against them "You should talk about it."

Aderyn knew instantly that Vastra was right. But she didn't know if she could. She stared unblinkingly at the ceiling "There's a lot to say." She whispered.

"And I daresay it will be painful."

A sudden anger flared briefly. She took a deep breath, preparing to shout, to scream at Vastra. She wanted to tell her that she knew nothing of the pain she was feeling right now. How could she possibly know? She had Jenny. Jenny wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She didn't have to look Jenny in the face every time she saw her knowing exactly what was going to happen to her, knowing that everything she planned would never happen. But when she met Vastra's gaze, she remembered. Vastra had lost her sister, her entire family. Vastra was the only Silurian that walked the Earth rather than sleeping under it. Vastra knew about loss. And deep down, Aderyn knew that Vastra cared. Last time she had spent time here, Vastra had tried her best to help Aderyn. She had been patient and, although she had become frustrated with Aderyn's actions, she had understood. No matter what Aderyn had done, Vastra had been kind, firm but kind. Vastra and Jenny had taught her how to survive on her own. They had shown her that she always had somewhere she could go no matter what.

"Do I have to do this now?" Aderyn asked in a choked whisper.

"No, Dear. But if you do want to talk about it, I will listen."

Aderyn felt a familiar wave of affection towards Vastra. She didn't doubt that she would, sooner or later, have to talk to someone about what happened. Vastra would listen and Jenny would be the shoulder to cry on should she need one.  
_

Twenty minutes later she sank into bed, feeling more exhausted then she had ever felt before. She hadn't been lying when she had said to River that she hadn't slept properly. And it really did appear to be catching up with her. But her sleep was restless and she dreamt about the library.

She dreamt she was running down corridors lined with bookcases. The darkness was closing in behind her and she was running as fast as she could. She could see a light ahead of her. It was the light from the TARDIS console but when she reached it, the TARDIS door slammed closed and she ran into it. She watched the darkness close in around her. Then it stopped. A spacesuit emerged from the darkness towards her, the green lights of it's communication system flickered as it's occupant ghosted. Through the darkness in the visor she could just about see a skull and the distorted voice of River Song stuttered at her "You could have saved me. You...could...have...saved...me." A hand reached out and closed around her throat. "Save...me." She wanted to cry out, wanted to plead for her life, tell this walking spacesuit that she couldn't have done anything. No spoilers, right? That's what River always said. If she had told River what was going to happen then that would have changed everything. It was likely a fixed point.

Then another voice, this one calmer and clearer "Wake up, Aderyn," But then as the hand around her throat tightened it's grip, the voice became more frantic "Come on, Aderyn. Breathe." She looked into the eyeless sockets of the skull and tried to disentangle the voices. The skull was using River's voice. But there was no one else around so where was the other voice coming from?

She felt a thump to her chest. But the skeleton in the space suit hadn't moved. Then another one. Light started to bleed in around the edges of her vision. She felt an odd acceptance. Was this it? Was her time up? That was ok. She could cope with that. If this was it then she wouldn't feel anything anymore. But as the light crept across her, the scene changed. Where the darkness had been, the orange glow of lights was starting to break through. Where the skull had been grinning at her was a face, it's eyes wide. Where the stuttering voice of River had been, was the clear voice of Jenny.

Aderyn was rolled onto her side as she struggled to draw in air. The sound of her coughing was mixed with spluttering sobs. She suddenly became aware that she was no longer in bed, where she expected to be. She was led on the bedroom floor. Jenny brushed hair from Aderyn's face and peered at her with concern "You need to breathe in as well as out." She said. There was a tinge of relief evident in her voice.

Aderyn tried to push herself on to her back, but her movements were hampered by Madame Vastra, who had a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Stay where you are. Just breathe." She said soothingly. As Aderyn tried desperately to control her breathing, she saw the blackness start to creep in around her vision again and the room began to blur. This wasn't right. The darkness shouldn't be here. Not here, this was where she was meant to be safe.

"No," She whispered. But the darkness crept closer. "No!" She shouted. She, somehow, managed to push Vastra and Jenny aside and got, shakily, to her feet. She had made it most of the way down the stairs when the darkness, and Vastra, caught up with her.


	5. This Is More Serious Than Weeping Angels

There was nothing but blackness surrounding her. Aderyn tried to move her arms, legs, anything but she couldn't move at all. She could feel her hearts beating out a terrified rhythm and her ability to take breaths was diminishing. Stay calm and think, she thought. She shouldn't have a breathing issue. Respiratory bypass. She didn't need to breathe as much as she was trying. She could hold her breath for a stupidly long amount of time. Thank you Doctor for that fine genetic trait. One issue down. Now for the darkness. She could make out shapes moving in the darkness and focused her attention on those. Right well they looked like silhouettes rather then anything that was about to leap out and strangle her. Silhouettes meant they were behind something. She opened her eyes.

She was in bed at 13 Paternoster Row. She was propped up on several pillows and she could see the, slightly blurry, form of Jenny walking around the room.

"Back with us at last." She said cheerfully.

Aderyn made a few attempts to clear her throat then replied groggily "The jury is still out on that one. What happened?"

"You made an awful lot of noise shouting something about spoilers and fixed points. By the time we got to there, you leapt out of bed and ran head first into the wall. Strax said that it looked like you were still asleep when you did that. You then had a panic attack and tried to run away. Luckily Vastra was able to catch you before you fainted and fell down the stairs. You've been asleep most of the day." Jenny said.

"Sorry," Aderyn muttered "I had a bad dream. I think it had something to do with that."

"Don't apologize. None of us can control what we dream about. But if you feel like running in your sleep again, kindly don't," Vastra said. She swept into the room, a tea tray in hand. "Now that you're feeling a bit better I daresay you can manage a cup of tea."

Vastra didn't stay in the room with them for long. But she was the Veiled Detective after all and, no doubt, had other things to do. Jenny put off tasks as long as possible, wanting to make sure Aderyn was okay before leaving her alone.

Aderyn threw off the blanket that covered her. She was no longer wearing the battered jeans and old t-shirt and hoodie she had been when she had first fallen into bed. They were folded neatly on a chair. Instead, someone had put her into a long night gown. She changed quickly and slipped silently into the hall. She quietly made her way down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen. She could smell freshly made cakes and her stomach growled loudly at the thought.

"Good afternoon lad. Madame Vastra suspected you'd be hungry." Strax took a cover from a plate and held it out to her.

The plate held a few small cakes and some bread and cheese. She was hungry. She sat at the kitchen table and ate quickly. She felt like she hadn't eaten in some time. Strax was little company, but she didn't mind. He informed her that Vastra was meeting with the chief of police. But he promised to let her know as soon as she was done. He fetched her a paper and she spent an oddly enjoyable time reading it at the kitchen table. Despite the surreal events of the last few days, she felt a sense of normality, which only increased when Jenny bustled into the kitchen and began making tea. She had spent so long at Paternoster Row after the Ponds that going back to her own home had felt odd and the quiet of living by herself had been unnerving. Now being back here, everything felt calm.

"We've finished now so you can join us in the drawing room if you like." Jenny said, picking up a tea tray and hesitating before picking up a third cup.

Aderyn nodded and folded the paper "I need to ask Vastra's opinion on something."

She followed Jenny into the drawing room, a sense of trepidation filling her with nausea as she sat in the chair opposite Vastra.

"Madame Vastra, I am in need of some advice." Aderyn said.

Vastra smiled kindly at her "Aderyn, my dear, you have no need to be so formal. And I said I will listen."

"Thank you," Aderyn said. She felt suddenly awkward. She had never discussed the library with anyone. Certainly not the Doctor. But that was because he was unaware of how much Aderyn had seen. She took a deep breath "You are both aware of what happened in the library. But my problem is this. I am aware that certain points in time are fixed. But I believe there is something that could have been done." She paused. Not certain how best to voice what she was thinking. She took several deep breaths and tried to talk. But every time she opened her mouth, the words caught in her throat as though dreading being spoken. Vastra stood and pushed a cup of tea into her hands.

"Take your time," she said "I have all the time in the world."

Aderyn took a nervous gulp of tea "If River had never gone to the library, then she wouldn't have died. And me, the Doctor and Donna would never have gone there because she wouldn't have sent the message."

Vastra held up a hand to stop her. Aderyn fell silent. "Are you suggesting that you have told her what was going to happen?"

Aderyn shook her head "Not all at. I'm just wondering whether I did the right thing."

"But if River never went to the library and sent the message to the Doctor, then you would never have met her." Jenny said slowly.

Aderyn looked round at her "I would rather have never met her then to have watched her die."

"Do you really mean that?" Jenny asked.

"I watched her die. I then met her again and again. Not only that but I fell in love with the damned woman and married her, knowing that she was going to die. I would rather not have gone through that."

Vastra watched the exchange between the two of them. Humans. Sometimes she failed to understand them. This was not one of those times. In Aderyn's position, she wouldn't know what to do. If it was Jenny, she probably would have wanted to tell her, stop her from going to the library. But she knew the consequences of changing certain things. As Aderyn and Jenny continued to discuss the pros and cons of Aderyn having ever met River, the debate became more heated. They both began to get louder, their responses more furious as they tried desperately to get the other to see their view.

"Aderyn, there is something else you should be considering," Vastra said. Although she spoke quietly, both of them fell silent immediately "It's not just whether or not you would have met River that is the issue, although I can see why that would be a problem. The point to consider is this: River's death may be a fixed point. It could cause a paradox if it doesn't happen. She is meant to die in the library. If she doesn't, death will catch up with her. And it will be far more disastrous then the library."

"But that is just a possibility, surely?" Aderyn said desperately.

"It is extremely likely. I am not as knowledgeable on the laws of time travel as the Doctor."

Aderyn sighed "See, the Doctor breaks the rules. Not even a little. He does it all the time."

"Aderyn, you came to me for my opinion. And my opinion you will get. I believe you did the right thing. Things happen and time goes on. If you change too much in time, especially who lives and who dies, there will be serious consequences. Whether or not you heed my words is up to you. But remember that there are rules for a reason."

Aderyn leant back in her chair, feeling somewhat defeated "So it'd be like with Rory and Amy? Rory tried to find away around getting captured by the Weeping Angels. He created a paradox but they got him anyway."

"Exactly. But this is more serious then the Weeping Angels."

Aderyn knew Vastra was right. But hope had once again reared it's ugly head. There was a slim chance that it would all be okay. But there was also the possibility that it would all go horribly wrong. Maybe this would have to be a discussion she had with the Doctor. Though it was likely that Madame Vastra was right. She usually was.

Vastra ignored Aderyn's half hearted explainations that she wanted to go home and be alone. She insisted that Aderyn stayed at Paternoster Row. Aderyn wasn't really complaining. She had missed life in Victorian London as part of Vastra's team. So once again, 13 Paternoster Row became home to Aderyn.


	6. Sword Drill

For the eighth time Aderyn landed on her back on the hard floor, her breath knocked out of her. For the eighth time Aderyn took the hand that was offered and was helped upright.

"You're getting better." Jenny said enthusiastically as Madame Vastra pulled Aderyn to her feet. Aderyn was starting to get very frustrated with being knocked back every time.

She had been at Paternoster Row for a few months now. The Doctor had made a few flying visits in the first few weeks to make sure Aderyn was doing well. It was his suggestion that Madame Vastra helped Aderyn with her sword drill. And that was what Vastra had been doing. But the annoying thing was Madame Vastra was good. Vastra had suggested facing Aderyn as she had developed skills that matched Jenny. And as Vastra had pointed out, there was no challenge in that. On top of the frustration, Aderyn was starting to feel the pangs of exhaustion. She spent most of her days sparring with either Vastra or Jenny and had, on more than one occasion, gone with Madame Vastra when she had gone about her detective business in the evenings.

She took the sword as Vastra offered it back to her and squared herself up with grim determination. Jenny had been right, she was getting better. Just not as quickly as she would have liked. It was slowly taking longer for Vastra to disarm her, though Vastra's methods were becoming more painful and Aderyn was sure she would be bruised in the morning. She already had a dark purple bruise where Vastra had slapped the blade across her arm to prove a point. She was thankful the blades were blunt otherwise a few bruises would have been the least of her worries.

Once again the metallic clash of swords filled the basement of Paternoster Row. Vastra was able to catch her off guard once, but Aderyn retained her balance and her grip on her sword handle. She was able to swing the sword up quickly to block a potentially painful blow.

Jenny's attention was drawn from the sword fight when she heard the clock chime above them. They had a meeting soon. But Aderyn had been making progress. As she watched, Aderyn was able to counter attack with such force that Vastra had not choice but to resort to some nimble footwork that had left her temporarily exposed.

But Aderyn was, once again, knocked to the floor, breathing heavily. She had greatly misjudged Vastra's movements and her attempt to block had failed. She had been sent sprawling when she had taken a blow to the sternum. She was certain she had heard something crack. She had climbed to her feet again when Jenny announced they would soon have company.  
_

Madame Vastra held all of her meetings in the conservatory. There was something both calming and intimidating about discussing business surrounded by a variety of exotic plants.

Unlike Jenny, Aderyn had very little input during meetings. She would always play the part of the impartial observer. She was always fascinated by the way Vastra conducted the meetings. She would be polite and she would listen. But she was always clearly in charge. Aderyn couldn't help but admire her. She was meant to be closely observing the other person during the meetings, but Aderyn frequently found herself being distracted by Vastra. There really was something rather impressive about her. Maybe it was just a trait of the Silurian race. The only Silurian she had met was Vastra and she often wondered whether they were all like Vastra. But the Doctor and Amy had encountered Silurians before, and going by what Amy had told her, it was highly unlikely that any of them were like Vastra in more than just appearance.

The man that had called for the meeting with Vastra was someone called Thursday. He claimed to have an interesting case for them. A case regarding a string of unusual deaths that left the victims with bright red skin and a rigidity that went beyond the body's natural rigor mortis. The papers had labelled it ' _the Crimson Horror_ '.

Thursday regarded Madame Vastra with curiosity. He couldn't see the face beneath the heavy veil and this made him nervous. But she was the great detective. If she couldn't help then no one could. He sporadically shifted his gaze from Vastra, to Jenny, to Aderyn, who was sat in the corner.

Thursday cleared his throat again "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I'm told you are the investigator to see if there are strange goings-on."

"Yes I read of your brother's death," Vastra replied. "Another victim of the Crimson Horror as the papers would have us believe." She regarded the gruesome title the media had labelled the deaths with unconcealed distaste.

"So it is claimed. He was a newspaper man. He and a young woman were working undercover," In her corner, Aderyn shifted. She looked at Thursday with a searching stare. "Tell me, madam," he continued "do you know what an optogram is?"

Behind her veil, Madame Vastra rolled her eyes "It is a silly superstition, sir. The belief that the eye can retain an image of the last thing it sees."

Thursday reached into his jacket pocket and held out a photograph. Jenny took it from his unresisting hand, her eyes widening in shock. Aderyn leapt from her seat and looked over Jenny's shoulder. Mutely, Jenny handed the photograph to Vastra. In one swift movement Vastra lifted her veil. This was a very concerning development in the case.

Jenny and Aderyn looked at Vastra, both alarmed by the photograph and surprised that Vastra had raised her veil. They heard a heavy thud behind them and turned. Thursday had fainted. Madame Vastra shook her head.


	7. We Best Make Plans To Head North

13 Paternoster Row was a curious house. Unlike it's neighbours, this particular house had more rooms then was physically possible. Several rooms had been added when Aderyn's visits had become more frequent. It also boasted a large basement that was being used for Aderyn's training, there was another small room that lead from the basement. This had been converted into a dark room. It was in this room that they now worked. Jenny had, with painstaking accuracy, enlarged the photo several times. She watched the pictures become steadily clearer as she hung them to dry. Aderyn paced restlessly behind her and she could hear Madamve Vastra sighing with annoyance. Aderyn's pacing was one trait that Vastra had wished the Doctor had kept to himself.

"Well, I'll be blowed." Jenny said under her breath. Vastra was quickly at her side and Aderyn stopped pacing.

"What is it?" Aderyn said, alarmed by the sudden silence.

"I think, madam, that we'd better make plans to head north." Jenny said. Aderyn peered closely at the photo.

"Extrememly very not good." Aderyn muttered.

The enlargements had revealed an image of the Doctor, red faced and screaming.


	8. Heading North

The cab journey to Yorkshire was long and the roads were rough. Madame Vastra had suggested that Aderyn get to there via the vortex manipulator, but she had refused. She enjoyed long journeys and she was more than happy to sit on the floor of the small carriage. She had argued that it would be easier to brief them all at once.

Vastra had a knack for obtaining information and once again, she had managed to get everything they needed to start with.

"According to my research, Sweetville's proprietor holds recruitment drives for her little community. She is only interested in the fittest and the most beautiful." Vastra told them.

Strax proudly sat up straighter "You can rely on me, ma'am."

Aderyn turned her laugh into a cough.

"I was, in fact, talking to Jenny." Vastra said carefully.

"Jenny! If this weak and fleshy boy is to represent us," Aderyn couldn't hide her laugh this time "I strongly recommend the issuing of scissor grenades, limbo vapour and triple blast brain splitters." Strax sat back in his seat, looking less then impressed.

"What for?" Aderyn laughed.

Strax looked at her as though he couldn't understand why she would be prepared to leave the house without the most important weaponry.

"Just generally. Remember, we are going to the north." he informed her.

Aderyn's laughter was silenced by Vastra "You are to go with her."

Aderyn considered this for a moment then shrugged "Ok."  
_

Jenny didn't understand how Aderyn could fall asleep during their journey. She didn't look comfortable sat on the floor hunched against the carriage door. Aderyn had fallen asleep with her head resting against the small space on the seat between Vastra and the door. The rough roads meant she was getting bounced around. Vastra had been less then friendly in her manner of waking her. She had pulled open the door Aderyn had been leant against and Jenny had only just been able to catch her in time to stop her crashing to the floor.

"A gentle nudge would have worked just as well." Aderyn complained as she righted herself.

"You both need to go to one of the recruitment drives. Get in and find the Doctor." Vastra told them. Jenny and Aderyn nodded.  
_

It wasn't hard to find out when the next recruitment drive was. There were several posters dotted around the small town. The posters declared "Tonight! In Person! Mrs. Winifred Gillyflower on the Present Moral Decay and the Coming Apocalypse!"

The church hall was draughty, but neither Aderyn or Jenny cared. They focused intently on the small, old lady that stood on a raised podium. This could only be the infamous Mrs Gillyflower.

"Bradford, that Babylon for the Moderns, with its crystal light and its glitter, all aswarm with the wretched ruins of humanity. Men and women crushed by the devil's juggernaut. And moral turpitude can destroy the most delicate of lives. Believe me, I know. I know," Jenny and Aderyn exchanged glances. Neither looked happy and both were suspicious. Mrs Gillyflower nodded to a young woman by her side, who pulled a chord. A curtain that had acted as a screen was drawn to one side to reveal a young woman in a grey dress. Aderyn craned her neck, but she couldn't see the young woman's face as she was turned away from the crowd.

"My own daughter. Blinded in a drunken rage by my late husband!" Gillyflower continued. The woman turned to face the crowd. Jenny inhaled sharply. The woman's unseeing eyes made her shiver. "Her once-beautiful eyes, pale and white as mistletoe berries. And what, my friends, is your story? Will you be found wanting when the End of Days is come, when judgement rains down upon us all? Or will you be preserved against the coming apocalypse? Do not despair! I offer a way out! There is a different path! Sweetville. Join us! Join us in this shining city on the hill!" A covering was pulled from an easel showing an artists rendering of an idyllic village. When Mrs Gillyflower lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of the hymn _Jerusalem_ , Jenny leant in close to Aderyn.

"You think that's where he is?" She whispered.

"Probably. Either way, we need to get in there somehow." Aderyn whispered back.

They joined a queue to sign up for Sweetville.

"We get in and find out if that's where the Doctor is." Jenny said in a hushed tone.

"If he's not, we get a message back to Vastra. Either way this is something worth investigating. I know there is no coming apocalypse. Not yet anyway. She's up to something." Aderyn said. She was starting to get very restless and was oddly looking forward to the investigation. She knew she probably shouldn't be. But she couldn't help it. She longed for the thrill of bringing down the bad guy. Yes she had taken part in several investigations back in London, but nothing on this scale. This was something pretty major.


	9. Business As Usual

They reached Mrs Gillyflower surprisingly quickly. There weren't as many people willing to sign up this time. Aderyn had listen to hushed conversations as they had waited. From what she had gathered, this had been the last recruitment drive and a considerable number of people had signed up previously.

Mrs Gillyflower regarded Jenny and Aderyn with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Do you both wish to join us?"

Aderyn nodded. Jenny smiled "If it's all the same to you, ma'am."

Mrs Gillyflower looked from Aderyn to Jenny and smiled once again.

"You'll both do nicely." She handed Jenny a quill pen. Jenny stepped forward and signed a ledger. She then handed the quill to Aderyn. Beneath Jenny's scrawl, she neatly added 'Melody Song'.  
_

Vastra paced a short line in the alleyway next to the church. They had to give Jenny and Aderyn enough time to get inside Sweetville. It wasn't really the best idea to leave yet, just in case there was trouble. Vastra would never admit, certainly not to either of them, how little she liked the idea of Jenny and Aderyn going in to such unknown territory without her. She knew they would keep an eye on each other, they were both capable of looking after themselves. But that did nothing to quell her concerns. She didn't know what they would be getting into.

!If our strategy is to succeed, Jenny and Aderyn will need to infiltrate deep into the black heart of this place." She muttered bitterly.

"And how will they locate the Doctor?" Strax asked.

Vastra stopped pacing "To find him they need only ignore all keep out signs, go through every locked door and run towards any form of danger that presents itself."

"Business as usual then?"

Vastra smiled "Business as usual."

They waited for a couple of hours before retreating to a temporary abode. Vastra had enough of a reputation, even here, as a great detective, that it had been easy for them to acquire the use of a house for as long as they needed, once the landlord had found out who he was dealing with.

They had not been in the small house for very long when there was a knock at the door.

Strax opened the front door to find a calling card being thrust towards him.

"I've travelled from London expressly to see Madame Vastra. If you'd be so kind as to announce me, my good man." Thursday had been more interested in observing passers by then who opened the door. But when the card was taken from his hand he looked round. He saw Strax standing in the doorway and promptly fainted. Strax sighed and dragged the unconscious man into the house.

He was then placed on a sofa. Strax fanned him. Vastra had picked up the photograph that Thursday had given her in London. She looked closely at the image of the Doctor. Had he become a victim of the Crimson Horror?

"It asked for permission to enter and then it fell over. What are we to make of it?" Strax grumbled.

Vastra rolled her eyes "He, Strax, Thursday is a he. I imagine he wants to know what progress we are making," She looked down at the photograph again "The question is, how did the Doctor's image come to be preserved in a dead man's eye?" She put the photo onto a small table and drummed her fingers against the arm of the chair "I wonder how Jenny and Aderyn are getting along?"

Strax put the fan down and turned to face Vastra "If they haven't made contact by nightfall, I suggest a massive frontal assault on the factory. Casualties can be kept to perhaps, as little, as eighty percent."

"I think there are subtler ways of proceeding, Strax." Vastra said slowly.

Strax shrugged "Suit yourself." He picked up the fan again.


	10. About 65 Million Years Ago

The queue to get into Sweetville was considerably longer then the queue to sign up. Aderyn quickly became impatient and frequently checked her watch.

When the line shuffled forward a step, a woman attempted to strike up a conversation, much to Jenny's annoyance.

"I'm dead nervous, aren't you?" The woman said cheerfully "They have to be sure, you know. Only the best for Sweetville. I'm Abigail."

Jenny smiled politely "Please to meet you."

"you're not from round here are you?"

Aderyn, stood in front of Jenny, rolled her eyes. That was another thing, aside from the values, that she hated about Victorian life. People delighted in stating the obvious. And not even in a 'there's a giant monster about to eat us' kind of way that she frequently resorted to in order to wind up the Doctor.

"Nah," Jenny replied "Up from London. Do you know anyone who's come here? In Sweetville I mean."

Aderyn held her breath and listened intently.

"I had a pal came here three month back. She wrote to tell me how perfect it all were," Abigail paused thoughtfully "Funny though. I've not heard a peep from her since."

Aderyn turned her head enough to see Jenny from the corner of her eye. Jenny's gaze darted to a door nearby. Aderyn gave her the tiniest of nods then dipped her hand into her pocket. She took a step backwards towards Jenny then withdrew her hand. Jenny took the roll of fabric that Aderyn handed back to her. Aderyn took another step backwards, blocking Jenny and the door from view.

"What are you doing?" Abigail exclaimed.

"Do me a favour. Cause a distraction. Swoon, have a funny turn, fit of the vapours." Jenny said. She unrolled the fabric Aderyn had given her. It contained her lock picking tools. She selected one and began to work on the door.

"You're crackers." Abigail took a step away from them.

Aderyn, once again, put her hand in her pocket. She then held it out to Abigail. "There's a guinea in it for you."

"Done." The coin was quickly taken from her took several loud, wheezing breaths and pretended to faint. As a crowd gathered around her, Jenny and Aderyn slipped through the door unnoticed.

Jenny close the door silently behind them. Looking around, they could hear the sound of heavy machinery, but couldn't see the machines. As they walked further into the room, they were greeted by three large gramophone shaped speakers. This was where the noise was coming from. They crept passed the speakers. Aderyn looked around the cavernous room. It was largely empty but for the speakers. She squeaked in alarm as she was pulled backwards. Jenny slammed her against one of the speakers. She put one hand across Aderyn's mouth and held a finger to her lips. She then pointed around the speaker. They watched as a group of young men walked by, carrying large flasks of a bright red liquid. When they had vanished into a lift, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess that is the Crimson Horror." Jenny muttered.  
_

Far from sitting idle, Madame Vastra had followed her own leads. She had found out that a coroner, who had dealt with the bodies of the victims, was claiming to have some information. Luckily, Vastra's reputation, even here, had been enough to easily get her access to the morgue. However, it had not been enough to speed along the coroner. For some reason, he delighted in moving slowly and skirting around the answers to questions. His attempts to build suspense did nothing but annoy Vastra. Eventually, he let slip that had more then just information. He had, what he believed to be, the culprit.

As much as Vastra wanted this case to be over quickly so she could find the Doctor and leave, she knew that it wouldn't be.

The coroner pulled aside a curtain to reveal shelves laden with glass jars and bottles.

"Them new manufacturers can do 'orrible things to a person. I've pickled things in here that would fair turn your hair snowy as top of Buckden Pike."

Vastra had become very impatient with his dawdling "You know what I'm looking for." she said sternly.

The coroner reached into the shelves "Aye, I do. All them bits found in the canal. The Crimson Horror." He withdrew a large, long necked bottle from the shelf. and held it out to Vastra.

She took it quickly and turned towards a lamp. She threw back her veil to get a better view of the red liquid inside.

"It hardly seems possible," She muttered "But I think I have seen these symptoms before. A very long time ago."

"How long?"

Vastra turned to face him. He stared at her in disbelief "About 65 million years." For a second she thought he was going to faint like Thursday had. But he just laughed nervously "Really?"


	11. I Could Open This Door

Jenny and Aderyn ran over to the lift as soon as they felt it was safe. When they emerged, they looked up and down the corridor.

"We should split up. We'll find him quicker." Jenny whispered.

Aderyn really didn't like the idea. She still hadn't forgiven Oswin for allowing Amy to go off on her own in that children's home. But Jenny was right. They had to find the Doctor, and there was no telling how big this place was.

Reluctantly, Aderyn agreed "Ok, but you have to be careful."

Jenny smiled at her "I promise." and she took off down the corridor. Aderyn stepped out of the lift and went the other way. There was a door ahead of her. Through the circular window she could see a faint red glow. When she looked through, her eyes widened. What ever that red stuff was, there was no doubt in her mind that it was the Crimson Horror. A noise made her start and look round. There was someone approaching. She darted back into the lift and back down. Jenny would be ok, she could easily cover this side of the building. She ran back acroos the room with the speakers and through another door.

Jenny found a long staircase. She quickly, but quietly went up. There was another long hall. But this time there was only two door. One of the doors had a metal panel near the floor. There was a metallic clanging coming from inside the room. She pressed her ear to the door and tried the handle. It was locked. She ducked and slowly lifted the metal panel. A hand shot out and tried to grab her. She stood and backed away. She fought the instinct to run. Thy were here to find to the Doctor and the best way to do that was to go through every locked door. Maybe whoever was on the other side would have an idea of where the Doctor was. "All right, mate. You just stay calm now!" She said firmly. There was a bang as whoever was behind the door slammed something metallic against it. "I could open this door. Would you like that?" Another bang, quieter this time "Thought you might. But you and me has got to come to an arrangement, savvy? Now, you stand well back," Jenny took her lock picking tools from a pocket and prepared herself for opening the door "Do you hear me? I don't mean no harm to you. But you try anything funny and I'll leave you here to rot. Is that understood?" There was two loud bangs.

It didn't take Jenny long to unlock the door, and when she did she was surprised by who she found on the other side. The Doctor in a set of combinations, chained to a wall and bright red. His mouth hung open and he lurched towards her, arms outstretched, legs unable to bend. Jenny righted him as he staggered.

"What's happened to you?" Jenny asked. The Doctor swivelled himself round with a grunt, trying his best to point to his clothes, which were neatly folded on the floor. Jenny reached out and carefully touched the Doctor's face. His skin was cold. When she lightly tapped his check, it sounded like she had knocked on a piece of wood. She leant him against a wall and pulled at the shackles that bound him to the wall.

"Right, we're getting out of here." She muttered. Soon she had freed him of his chains. She helped him along the corridor. As they passed a lift, Jenny was aware of it moving. She pulled the Doctor along as quickly as she could. She had no desire to be caught.

A young woman stepped from the lift. She had a white stick in front of her that she swung from side to side. Her eyes were white. As she reached to door to the room the Doctor had been in, Aderyn made it to the top of the stairs. She flattened herself against the wall until she heard the door open. This was followed by mournful sobbing. She silently walked down the hall and peered into the room. She was certain she had seen this woman before. As she stepped back, her foot hit the door. The woman turned. Aderyn then realised exactly where she knew this woman from. This was Mrs Gillyflower's daughter. Aderyn held her breath. This woman wouldn't be able to see her, but the slightest noise would give her away. She'd already drawn attention to her presence. This poor woman was innocent, that much she could see. There was something not quite right about the scars around her eyes. When the woman turned away from her again, Aderyn slowly walked away from her. As much as she wanted to make sure the woman was alright, she had to worry about the Doctor.


	12. Don't Call Me That

Jenny heaved the Doctor along a corridor. He stopped moving suddenly and raised an arm. Jenny looked at where he was attempting to point. She saw a door with a small, circular window. She peered through the window. There was a huge vat of bubbling, red liquid. A large rack moved over it. There were six people suspended on the rack. They were lowered slowly into the vat. Jenny turned to the Doctor "Oh my God. Is that what they did?" The Doctor attempted to nod. He then spun, wobbled and pointed at a series of booths that lined one wall. He staggered to wards one. Jenny caught him as he began to topple. She pulled open the door of one of the booths and the Doctor threw himself forward into it.

Jenny trusted that he knew what he was doing, but it was with some apprehension that she handed him his clothes and sonic screwdriver and closed the door. There was the sound of footsteps and Jenny ducked between two booths. And waited. The eerie red glow from the booth was replaced by a green one and the door swung open. Jenny emerged from her hiding space and smiled as the Doctor danced out. He ran down the corridor, jumped and clicked his heels together. He then turned back to Jenny, grinning broadly.

"Jenny! Just when you think your favourite lock-picking Victorian chambermaid will never turn up!" He ran back to her, spun her round, dipped her backwards and kissed her. When he straightened up again, Jenny slapped him "You have no idea how good that feels! Right! Mrs Gillyflower! We've got to stop her!" He started a brisk walk down the corridor, going back the way they came.

"Doctor," Jenny called after him "Addy came with me. We split up to find you. We've got to find her."

The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and fiddled with the settings. He activated it briefly before putting it back in his pocket. "Just sent a signal. As long as she's got her sonic, she'll know where to find us." He started to walk down the corridor again. Jenny ran to catch up.  
_

Aderyn's pocket whirred. She reached into her pocket. Her sonic screwdriver was whirring and buzzing. That could only mean one thing. She was getting a signal from another sonic device. She hoped that meant the Doctor. She walked on down the corridor and the whirring lessened. She stopped. That meant she was getting further away. She ran the other way, holding the screwdriver out in front of her. She was getting closer. She was so busy looking at the screwdriver that she didn't see the Doctor running through a doorway. She didn't see him until she ran into him and crashed to the floor. "Ah, you're alive. Good, good," Aderyn said quickly. She looked from Jenny to the Doctor "Where's Clara?"

"Clara? She died. The ice lady got her." Jenny frowned.

Aderyn waved her hand impatiently "Yes I know. It's all very complicated. But where there is the Doctor there is Clara. Here is the Doctor so where is Clara?"

"We might need to find her." The Doctor said.

Aderyn crossed her arms. "Have you lost her already?"

"No," the Doctor said sheepishly. Aderyn raised an eyebrow "Maybe. In my defence this wasn't my fault."

Aderyn sighed "No. It never is. Well then, lets not stand around here all day when there's a Clara to find and a crazy old lady to stop." Aderyn headed down the corridor the way the Doctor had been heading. The Doctor and Jenny took long strides to catch up with her.

"How did you even end up here?" Jenny asked.

"That's a long story." The Doctor said.

"Then keep it short." Aderyn snapped.

"Well, I thought Clara would enjoy a trip to Victorian London and the TARDIS brought us to Yorkshire where we found out about the Crimson Horror. Anyway, I thought it was something we should look into. So we both signed up for Sweetville and when we got here we discovered that Mrs Gillyflower was preserving people in whatever that red stuff is. And she has an army of people that act like robots and do her bidding. She calls them Pilgrims."

Aderyn stopped walking and spun on her heels "You really expected the TARDIS to take Clara to Victorian London? Let me guess, you aimed for 1892."

"I was testing a theory." The Doctor said defensively.

"You still haven't explained how you ended up chained to a wall." Jenny said.

"Ah well, the process didn't work on me. I was destined for the rubbish tip, that is to say, I was meant to be thrown into the river. But I got saved that horror." The Doctor said.

"I'm guessing that was thanks to Mrs Gillyflower's daughter." Aderyn said slowly.

"Ada, yes. How did you know?" The Doctor frowned.

"Because when I was looking for you I saw her. She seemed pretty upset about something. Naturally I put two and two together. I think she knows you're no longer where she left you." Aderyn pushed open a door and they were greeted by a cool breeze and a deserted street. Aderyn hadn't realised how long they had been inside the factory. But the sky had grown dark.

"This is Sweetville," The Doctor said. He walked into the street and spread his arms "The new Babylon," Aderyn and Jenny followed him. The street was long, but they could just see a gate at one end, closing the street off to anyone not good enough for Sweetville. The Doctor ran down the street, peering into, what appeared to be, houses that lined either side. "I couldn't see much from where I was," He shouted as he ran "But I'm pretty sure she survived the process. Found her." He sonicked open a door and rushed through. Aderyn and Jenny were close behind him.

"It is her." Jenny breathed as she saw a huge bell jar containing Clara. She was sat in a chair, motionless and unblinking. The Doctor tapped against the glass. It rang out loudly.

"We've got to get her out of there and back into the factory." The Doctor mumbled.

"Heads up!" Aderyn shouted. The Doctor turned and ducked just as the chair Aderyn had thrown connected with the glass of the bell jar, which shattered "Chairs have their uses." Aderyn muttered as the Doctor rushed forwards to Clara. The three of them, with Clara in hand, managed to make it back to the booths. The Doctor peered cautiously into the window in the door.

"Will she be revived like you were?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor shrugged "I hope so."

"Um, Doctor."

"What, Addy?" The Doctor snapped impatiently. He turned to see Aderyn staring straight ahead. There was a small group of men watching them. "Oh great. Attack of the super models. Time for a plan." He whined.

"Don't worry. We've got this." Jenny said. Aderyn walked around the Doctor and moved next to Jenny.

"You just keep an eye on her." Aderyn said. Jenny pulled her bonnet off in one swift movement. The bonnet was followed by her dress. Underneath the dress, Jenny was wearing a sleek, black cat suit with lace sleeves. Aderyn skilfully removed her skirt, revealing fitted black trousers. The Doctor wasn't quite sure where he should be looking. He flitted between peering into the booth and watching Aderyn and Jenny. Two of the Pilgrims swung bats from their hands. They raised them and took a step towards the two women. Jenny and Aderyn stepped forwards to meet them. As the men swung their bats, both women, in perfect unison, raised their arm to protect themselves from the blow. They then swung the men over their shoulder. As more men approached them they elbowed and punched their way through them. But jut as quickly as they were getting knocked down, the men would surround them again. They both ducked when they heard a cry ring out along the corridor.

"Sontar-Ha!" The Pilgrims soon scattered as Strax rained gunfire at them. Vastra ran forward and grabbed Jenny and Aderyn's hand, pulling them towards the Doctor. "Quickly, we need to go." She said.

Jenny pulled her hand from Vastra's grip "We're not escaping yet ma'am. We have to help the Doctor with Clara."

The Doctor looked guiltily at Vastra. Aderyn smirked. The look Vastra gave the Doctor was one she had been on the receiving end of a vast number of times. It was a look that clearly said 'what have you done this time?'

"It's a long story." The Doctor said quickly.

Strax shouldered his gun and turned proudly to Vastra "What now madam? We could lay mimetic cluster mines."

Vastra put her hands on her hips "Strax!"

"Or dig trenches and fill them with acid."

"Strax!" Vastra said loudly "You're overexcited. Have you been eating Aderyn's sherbet fancies again?"

Strax looked at his feet "No."

"You ate my sweets." Aderyn yelled.

Vastra shushed Aderyn gently "Now Strax, go outside and wait until I call you."

"But madam." Strax protested.

Vastra pointed back down the hall "Go!" Strax slunk away slowly. Vastra crossed her arms and turned her attention back to the Doctor "So I was right. You and Clara have unfinished business."

"He ate my sweets." Aderyn snapped.

Vastra sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am aware of that. We'll get more when we get home."

Glad of the attention being drawn away from him, the Doctor peered back though the window then quickly opened the door of the booth. Clara fell out and into the Doctor's arms.

She opened her eyes slowly.

"Hello stranger." The Doctor smiled.

"What's going on?" Clara asked groggily.

In a half hearted attempted at a Northern accent, the Doctor grinned "There's trouble at Mill."

Clara smiled, then caught sight of Vastra and Jenny. Aderyn soon obscured her view of them, looking over the Doctor's shoulder at her. "Back with us at last. Good, good. Don't worry about them," she jerked her head in Vastra and Jenny's direction "She's a lizard woman from the dawn of time and that's her wife. Now as much as I would love to give you time to come to your senses, we don't have _that_ much time. We have work to do." She clapped the Doctor on the shoulder and walked away from him, following Vastra who had started a slow walk down the corridor.

"How has she weaponised sarcasm?" Clara muttered. The Doctor shrugged apologetically.

"So, what are we dealing with?" Jenny asked as the Doctor and Clara ran to catch up with them.

"The poison is ancient. My people once ruled this word, as well you know. But we did not rule it alone. Just as humanity fights a daily battle against nature, so did we. And our greatest plague, the most virulent enemy was the repulsive red leech." Vastra said.

"What is it though?" Aderyn asked nervously.

"A tiny parasite. It infected our drinking water. And once in our systems, it secreted a fatal poison."

Aderyn grimaced "Please don't touch anything without gloves on."

They stopped walking as they reached the lift. The Doctor slammed his hand against the call button and paced excitedly as he waited for it.

"Ooooh, the Repulsive Red Leech. Nah. On reflection I think I prefer the Crimson Horror," They stepped into the lift, the Doctor fidgeted until the doors opened again and he sprang out "But if it's been hanging around, lurking in the shadows, maybe it's evolved. Or maybe it's had help."

"Doctor, I've been thinking, the chimney..." Clara started.

"But why is it being used now?" The Doctor continued.

"Doctor?"

"Not now Clara. I'm busy."

"Doctor!" Clara shouted. But still the Doctor paced and twirled as he walked down the corridor, talking rapidly.

Aderyn whistled, long and high pitched "Oi, Spaceman."

"Don't call me that." The Doctor snapped, stopping in his tracks.

"Then listen." Aderyn snapped. She grabbed him and spun him round to face Clara.

"A chimney that doesn't blow smoke in a factory that isn't a factory." Clara said.

The Doctor paused, thought for a second then smiled "Clever clogs."


	13. Chairs Have Their Uses

**Sorry about the delay in updating, I've had a few family issues that has meant I've not been able to write and post as often as I would have liked. More chapters will be added soon.**

* * *

"So, Mr Clever," Aderyn said sarcastically "What do we do now then?"

"I don't think I appreciate that tone much. I am clever." The Doctor pouted.

Aderyn crouched behind the pile of discarded machine parts that was acting as a hiding spot. They had found their way onto the factory floor. There were Pilgrims everywhere and they all appeared to be busy.

"Well," She hissed "So far you have managed to end up here as a reject of whatever crazy scheme a mad, old lady is cooking up and failed realise this isn't even a working factory. I think my sarcastic tone is required."

"Aderyn, that's enough!" Vastra snapped in a harsh whisper.

"Sorry," Aderyn muttered "What are we going to do then?"

"We're going to stop Mrs Gillyflower. She's going to poison the air." The Doctor said slowly.

"How is she going to do that though?" Jenny asked.

Clara had been watching Pilgrims wonder along the factory floor. One of them pulled a lever and a huge rocket was revealed "With that, I'd imagine." She said.

"This calls for a plan." The Doctor said. He raised himself from sitting to crouching and slowly began to back away. The other's soon followed suit.

Jenny and Vastra soon headed back to the factory floor. They had their own role to play in the bringing down of Mrs Gillyflower, though the Doctor, as he so frequently did, neglected to let them in on the entirety of the plan. Aderyn strongly believed he didn't actually have much of a plan and was making it up as he went along. Well, it wouldn't be the first time he did that.

In fact, the Doctor did have a plan. He would do what he always did. He'd give the bad guy a chance to give in. Everything beyond that point would rely heavily on Vastra and Jenny.

But there was something the Doctor had to do first, someone he had to see. He quickly lead Aderyn and Clara back through the factory. As he had hoped, Ada was still in the room he had been chained up in.

Despite Ada being the one to keep him captive, he could feel no negativity towards her. As he peered around the door, he felt a twinge of sadness when he saw Ada, sat in a corner. The door creaked as he pushed it open and she looked up sharply.

"Who's there?" she asked.

The Doctor walked over to her. He knelt in front of her and held her hand to his face.

"It's you. My Monster," She breathed "But you're warm."

"Warm and alive thanks to you. You saved me from your mother's human rubbish tip," The Doctor wiped a tear from her cheek "Now what's wrong?"

"She does not want me, monster! I am not to be chosen," Ada sobbed. From the corner of her eye, Clara saw Aderyn twitch at Ada's words. "Perhaps it was my own sin, the blackness in my heart, that my father saw in me." Ada continued.

The Doctor shook his head "Ada, no. That's nonsense. Stupid, backwards nonsense, and you know it!"

"Doctor," Aderyn whispered "We don't have much time."

"Who is that?" Ada asked nervously, turning her sightless eyes towards Aderyn. The Doctor waved at her and Aderyn walked cautiously over.

"This is Aderyn," The Doctor said cheerfully "She's my daughter." Aderyn crouched next to the Doctor.

Ada smiled "How lucky you are to have such a kind and caring father."

"I know what it is like to be unwanted. But the opinion of one stupid person doesn't matter." Aderyn said soothingly.

The Doctor put a hand on Aderyn's shoulder. "Now, Ada, I need to know something. I need you to tell me who Mr Sweet is."

"I cannot tell you. Even now I cannot." Ada muttered.

Aderyn put a kind hand over Ada's "Ada, your monster has only good intentions. We need to know."

But Ada shook her head "I cannot betray her."

The Doctor took Ada's hand and pulled her to her feet "Then come with us. You should at least know what she is doing."

In silence, the Doctor lead Aderyn, Clara and Ada through the factory corridors. The Doctor easily found where they needed to go, with only one or two wrong turns. When they reached a door to the residential area, the Doctor dropped Ada's hand.

"Stay here," he muttered "But listen." He nodded to Clara and Aderyn, who followed him as he pushed open the door.

Mrs Gillyflower turned to face them as they walked in and smiled deviously "You do seem to keep turning up like a bad penny, young man." She said.

The Doctor shrugged "Force of habit. But I'm the Doctor, you're nuts and I'm going to stop you."

Though she was still smiling, Mrs Gillyflower's tone became more serious "Oh, I'm afraid Mr Sweet and I cannot allow that."

The Doctor clicked his fingers as though suddenly remembering "Oh yes, would it be impolite to ask why you and Mr Sweet are petrifying your workforce with diluted prehistoric leech venom?"

Mrs Gillyflower's smile didn't change.

"So when do we get to meet him, this silent partner of yours? Why's he so shy?" Clara asked, walking closer to the Doctor and keeping one eye on the door.

"Mr Sweet is always with us." Mrs Gillyflower replied calmly.

Clara looked at Aderyn, frowning. Aderyn matched her confused expression. The Doctor was watching Mrs Gillyflower, unblinking.

"You seem to have a very close relationship, you and your pal." He said.

Mrs Gillyflower raised her hand and unfastened the first few buttons of the top of her gown "Very close. Symbiotic you could say." She partially opened the top of her gown to reveal a large, red leech attached to her. It turned to face them and they saw it's round mouth full of sharp teeth.

Clara took a step backwards "Doctor, what is it?"

"A survivor," Mrs Gillyflower walked over to a chair and, sitting down, lovingly offered the leech titbits from the table "He has grown fat on the filth humanity has pumped into the rivers. That's where I found him. His needs are simple. And in return, he gives me his nectar."

The Doctor grabbed a chair and sat opposite Mrs Gillyflower "Mrs Gillyflower, you have no idea what you're dealing with. In the wrong hands, that venom could wipe out all life on this planet!"

Mrs Gillyflower giggled. She held her hands out, palms up "You know what these are? The wrong hands." She stood, walked over to a large mechanism on a wall and pulled a lever.

From a window, the Doctor watched a series of lights switch on up the chimney. He smiled cheerfully at Mrs Gillyflower.

"Planning a little fireworks party, are we?"

"You've forced me to advance the Great Work somewhat, Doctor. But my colossal scheme remains as it was. My rocket will explode high in the atmosphere, raining down Mr Sweet's beneficence onto all humanity." Mrs Gillyflower replied coolly.

"And wiping us all out. You can't." Clara began to stride angrily towards Mrs Gillyflower. But The Doctor grabbed her arm, halting her progress.

Mrs Gillyflower smirked "My new Adam and Eves will sleep for but a few months before stepping out into a golden dawn," she clapped her hands together triumphantly "Is it not beautiful, Doctor?"

Aderyn mimicked her actions, clapping her hands then rubbing them together "Tell us about Ada, Mrs Gillyflower."

If she was thrown by the sudden change in conversation, Mrs Gillyflower didn't show it. Instead, she rolled her eyes and became uninterested "What?"

"Your daughter. You do remember your daughter? Tell us about your daughter." Aderyn folded her arms and watched Mrs Gillyflower as she walked back to her chair. But she didn't sit. She stood beside it and watched Aderyn curiously.

"How can you speak of such trivia when my hour is at hand? The child is of no consequence."

"Is that why you experimented on her?" Aderyn asked.

"Experimented?" Clara stammered. The Doctor smiled at Aderyn. Leaving her with Vastra, as much as he had hated it, had proven to be a good thing. He could see now that Vastra had been right. He had kept in touch with Vastra in regards to Aderyn's well being, and he had been informed that her confidence had grown. And now he could see just how right Vastra had been. Although Aderyn had never been one to shy away from standing up for what she believed in, and frequently being the first to defend the innocent, there was a marked change in her now. The Doctor noticed how she seemed to stand taller and she spoke louder and sternly.

"Oh yes, the signs are all there. The pattern the scarring around the eyes isn't right. You used her as a guinea pig, didn't you?"

"It was necessary. I had to find out how much of the venom would produce an anti-toxin. To immunise myself. Don't you see? It was necessary. Sometimes sacrifices must be made." Mrs Gillyflower said.

The Doctor had become attuned to looking for the warning signs of Aderyn loosing her temper. It didn't happen that often. But when it did, the results were never pleasant. The Doctor could understand why she would be loosing her temper now. He wasn't happy himself. But he knew there were better ways to deal with this situation. As Aderyn went to step furiously towards Mrs Gillyflower, the Doctor's hand shot out, stopping her walking passed him. The Doctor's attempts to stop Aderyn were unnecessary. The door was pushed fully open and Ada stumbled in.

"Is that true?" She demanded.

Mrs Gillyflower didn't answer. Ada continued to stumble into the room "It's true isn't it. It's true."

"Ada," Mrs Gillyflower said with false charm "Listen to me, you helped my great work."

"You perfidious hag!" Ada roared "All these years, I have helped you, served you. Looked out for you. Does it count for nothing? Nothing at all?"

Keeping an eye on Ada, but letting her have her say, Aderyn crossed her arms. Knowing that Aderyn would step in should the disagreement between mother and daughter get out of hand, the Doctor used Mrs Gillyflower's distraction to turn his attention to the rocket controls. He dug is his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. But Clara had other ideas. She picked up the chair the Doctor had abandoned. She held it high "Heads up," The Doctor turned, then ducked as the chair collided with the control panel. "Chairs have their uses." She said as the Doctor stuffed the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket. He paused. That was the second time Clara, in one guise or another, had said something that was near identical to something Aderyn had said. Clara hadn't been there to hear what Aderyn had said. He allowed himself a brief second to realise the shocking amount of similarities between Clara and Aderyn. He shook it off and turned his attention back to Aderyn, Ada and Mrs Gillyflower. Aderyn was smirking as Ada swiped at Mrs Gillyflower with her cane.


	14. First Time I've Ever Been Called a Brat

Mrs Gillyflower would not be suppressed. She grabbed Ada's cane and pulled the startled woman towards her "My dear Ada, you have always been so useful." Mrs Gillyflower drew a small pistol and held it to Ada's head.

Aderyn quickly unfolded her arms, but made no attempt to move towards Mrs Gillyflower. Aderyn, Clara and the Doctor watched in horror as Mrs Gillyflower pulled Ada backwards, throwing open a door behind her. "And now, if you'll please forgive us, we must be going. It is long past Ada's bedtime!" She pushed Ada through the door, then, following, closed and locked the door behind her. Clara rushed to the door and tried to pull it open. But the door remained closed.

"Don't try and follow. If we follow straight away she'll shoot Ada on the spot." the Doctor said quickly.

Clara looked at him aghast "She wouldn't."

"She would." Aderyn said sadly. The door Mrs Gillyflower had gone through was a far more direct route to the factory floor. If the Doctor, Aderyn and Clara went back the way they had come, it would take far too long to get to. It would be too late by the time they got there and would be likely that Ada would be dead already. The quickest way would be to head outside. And there was only one speedy way out of the building.

The Doctor grabbed the chair he had been sat in. He raised it above his head and smiled at Aderyn and Clara before throwing it through the window "Chairs are really useful." He said, running over to the shattered window and looking down.

Thankfully the ground wasn't as far away as it looked. Aderyn made it to the ground the quickest, choosing to drop elegantly out of the window and land lightly on her feet. The Doctor navigated his way by stretching over to the metal fire escape and awkwardly pulling Clara out next to him.

Aderyn didn't wait for them to reach her, there was too much at stake for her to dawdle and hesitate. The Doctor would know where to go, she just had to make sure Mrs gillyflower didn't kill Ada. None of this was Ada's fault. Not for the first time, Aderyn felt guilt bubbling away inside her. She should have been more careful. She should have stopped Ada, should have jumped in when she had the chance. She should have made sure Mrs Gillyflower never had the chance to get close to Ada. The Doctor wouldn't have done that.

She was running back to the factory when she heard the hurried footsteps and a voice called out to her.

"Door to your right!" Aderyn looked over her shoulder. She knew the Doctor was a fast runner, but she hadn't believed Clara to be as quick as she was. She had only seen River run that fast in heels...but no. That wasn't true. She had seen Clara Oswin Oswald run in heels when she had chased after the Doctor's carriage. She didn't linger on the thought. Without breaking stride, she crashed through the door the Doctor had indicated. But the door had been locked and heavier then she had anticipated. She stumbled as the door burst open and had to slam against the wall to stop herself falling completely. By the time she had caught her breath, the Doctor and Clara had caught up with her.  
_

Mrs Gillyflower reached the factory floor quickly, still dragging Ada along with her. She stopped when she reached a Pilgrim.

"Has the poison been loaded?" She asked. The Pilgrim nodded. Mrs Gillyflower grinned at him "Then heaven awaits ya!" She tightened her grip on the struggling Ada and continued her walk across the floor.

But the Doctor, Aderyn and Clara were now closing in. They saw Mrs Gillyflower ahead of them, dragging poor Ada backward up a metal staircase. A staircase which ascended the factory's chimney, close to the rocket. They increased their speed when they heard a terrified shout "Please stop."

There was no telling how far Mrs Gillyflower would go. They were not willing to let anything happen to Ada. They crashed to a stop on the staircase when they saw Mrs Gillyflower ahead of them. She had stopped next to a power box. She had one arm wrapped around Ada's neck. She was still holding the pistol, though she was no longer pointing it in a particular direction.

"Just let her go, Mrs Gillyflower. Let Ada go." Aderyn shouted.

Mrs Gillyflower paid her no heed. She waved her free hand at the power box "Secondary firing mechanism. Mr Sweet and I are too clever for you."

Ada tugged herself free from her mother's grip and clattered down the steps. She crashed against the hand rail, just about keeping herself upright. The Doctor started forward, aiming to pull Ada to safety. But he was forced to retreat when Mrs Gillyflower shot at him. He stumbled backwards and was kept upright by Aderyn. When Mrs Gillyflower's attention turned to the power box, Aderyn seized her chance. She ran forward and quickly guided Ada down the last few steps to the small landing they were on. Mrs Gillyflower pulled a lever and the rocket's engines roared into life. The Doctor stood firmly in front of Ada, Clara and Aderyn, blocking them from the blast of hot air as the rocket took off. Mrs Gillyflower watched the progress of the rocket from a window. As it ascended she smiled "Now, Mr Sweet, the whole world will taste your lethal kiss."

Aderyn looked out across the factory floor. She caught a glimpse of green scales. She laughed.

"Oh I don't think so." She emerged from behind the Doctor, grinning.

"Did you really think a brat like you would be able to stop me?" Mrs Gillyflower met Aderyn's hard gaze.

Aderyn leant on the railing and let out a small hiss "I think that's the first time I've ever been called a brat,"

The Doctor frowned. As well as her confidence growing, Aderyn appeared to have picked up something else during her stay at Paternoster Row. How to speak Silurian. Although the Silurian language was mostly comprised of hisses, tone meant everything. Aderyn's hiss was clearly something very offensive and the Doctor was secretly very glad he didn't completely understand. He always greatly disapproved of Aderyn swearing.

"I do take great delight in informing you that you have failed, Mrs Gillyflower." Aderyn said sternly.

"I don't believe you." Mrs Gillyflower snapped.

Aderyn shook her head sadly and looked across the factory floor again "Some people really don't listen." She said loudly. From the shadows, Vastra and Jenny emerged, carrying a huge jar of poison between them.

Rage flashed across Mrs Gillyflower's face. She raised the pistol once more, aiming it at Aderyn this time. Aderyn ducked as the first shot rang out, missing her by mere inches.

Strax's voice echoed down the chimney as he aimed his own gun at Mrs Gillyflower "Put down your weapon, human female." Mrs Gillyflower aimed at Strax instead. When he fired back, she leant quickly to avoid being shot. But she leant to far over the railing and over balanced. She fell and crashed heavily onto the factory floor. The Doctor, Aderyn and Clara looked over the railing. Ada made her way slowly down the stairs, feeling her way along with the cane.

They watched as the leech detached itself from Mrs Gillyflower and began a slow, sickening crawl along the floor.

"What's it doing?" Clara whispered, transfixed by the sight of the leech.

"It knows she's dying," The Doctor explained "She's no use to it anymore."

When Ada's cane tapped on to the concrete floor, the three of them looked down. Mrs Gillyflower was no longer a threat, so none of them moved. She was Ada's mother after all, they should have their moment.

"Ada, are you there?" Mrs Gillyflower croaked.

"I'm here." Ada said as she reached Mrs Gillyflower. She stopped and crouched next to the dying woman.

"Forgive me, my child. Forgive me."

"Never." Ada said firmly.

Mrs Gillyflower smiled weakly "That's my girl." And with that, she closed her eyes and her breathing stopped.

"What will you do with that thing?" Aderyn asked, pointing at the leech.

The Doctor shrugged "Take it back to the Jurassic era, maybe. Out of harm's way."

Ada crossed the floor, stopping when her cane hit the leech. After a pause, she brought her cane down with tremendous force.

"On the other hand." Aderyn smiled.


	15. The Paternoster Peculiars

By a stroke of luck, the TARDIS had been parked in an alley across the road from the house Vastra had rented. It was in this alley they stood now. Aderyn smiled at the sight of the TARDIS. It felt like seeing an old friend she hadn't seen in years, despite it being only a few months since she had seen the old girl last. The Doctor, never one to stick around, bounced nervously on the balls of his feet. He was never very good at farewells.

Vastra and Jenny had already deposited the flask of poison in the carriage, ready to leave.

"Now, Ada, I'd love to stay and help clear up the mess." The Doctor started.

"I know, dear monster, you have things to do." Ada smiled.

"And what about you?" Clara asked.

"Oh, there are many things a bright young lady can do to occupy her time. It's time I stepped out of the darkness and into the light." Ada said.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile "Good luck, Ada. You know, I think you'll be just splendid," He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. He then walked passed Ada to Vastra, Jenny, Aderyn and Strax. He rearranged his expression into one of fatherly concern as he regarded Aderyn "You could come with us." Vastra held her breath. Although they had never had a direct conversation about it, Vastra had become accustomed to Aderyn being at Paternoster Row, and she had been hoping to sit and talk to Aderyn about her staying with them on a more permanent basis. Aderyn's presence had a huge affect on everyone else. Jenny laughed and smiled frequently and was less prone to become reclusive. Aderyn was also becoming a more vital member of the team, often playing an important part in investigations. Vastra had seen Aderyn's confidence levels grow and her depressive moods become less frequent.

Aderyn shuffled her feet "I know but I was hoping to stay at Paternoster Row," She looked at Vastra from the corner of her eye then hastily added "At least for a little longer."

The Doctor smiled "As long as that's ok with Madame Vastra and Jenny," He looked at the pair. Jenny grinned and Vastra nodded. He looked back at Aderyn "Well then, look at the four of you. The Paternoster Peculiars," He tipped his hat "Madame Vastra, Jenny, Strax, as ever, thanks for everything. Little Bird, if you need me just call," His jacket swished as he spun on his heel and started towards the TARDIS "Vastra, keep her safe," He ducked into the TARDIS and closed the door. A split second later, the door opened again and the Doctor poked his head out "Oh and stop teaching her how to be Silurian." He ducked back into the TARDIS and the engines wheezed.


	16. Back To London

Time passed as it always did at Paternoster Row. Eventfully. They hadn't left Yorkshire until the day after the case of The Crimson Horror had been brought to it's end. None of them had really felt like making the long journey back to London after such a tiring day. Instead they had spent the night at the small house. Aderyn had slept very little and had spent much of the day, after the Doctor and Clara's departure, with Ada. It was no secret that she had taken a liking to the young woman and had tried her best to make sure Ada would be ok. She had then spent much of the evening filling Vastra and Jenny in on the events after they had defeated the Great Intelligence and the Doctor had found Clara.

Jenny could tell that Aderyn didn't like Clara, though she was unsure why.

Though having a, somewhat, limited knowledge of the way human's, or human Time Lord hybrids, minds worked, Vastra could tell exactly why Aderyn disliked Clara. She knew that Aderyn resented the fact that Clara Oswald was nothing like the previous versions they had met and that Clara so easily held the Doctor's attention. But Vastra also knew that the Doctor was keeping his distance to allow Aderyn to get on with her life. But she also knew Aderyn wouldn't see it that way.

When they had got back to London, news of the events in Yorkshire had already spread and everyone knew that the Great Veiled Detective had solved another baffling case. Unfortunately, the title of Paternoster Peculiars had somehow found it's way back to London with them and the newspapers delighted in using it.

Vastra tried her best to make Aderyn more comfortable with Victorian life. She had visited one of London's more established tailors and had a variety of clothes made just for Aderyn. There were casual and formal men's shirts and trousers, as well as a formal jacket and new coat, both of which had a variety of pockets. A fleeting visit from the Doctor meant she was able to get the pockets extended making them bigger on the inside. She also had a few long skirts made. But the skirts weren't just any skirts. They weren't particularly well fitted, allowing the wearer to conceal things beneath it, be it a weapon or a sneakily worn pair of trousers.

Aderyn had been thrilled with the new clothes and it became very rare for her to be known as anything other then Felix Tyler when she was out in public.

The stuff that kept them busy were mostly the smaller investigations that insisted on occuring, mainly small gangs trying to intimedate people as well as the odd minor alien incursion they were able to keep under wraps.

Aderyn was happy and comfortable at Paternoster Row. The only other place she had felt so at home was within the TARDIS. She had her own rooms and some time to herself. But most of all, she realised that she, once again, had family.


	17. Should Have Checked When I Was Landing

When the Doctor enthusiastically pulled open the TARDIS door, he found himself looking along the shaft of an arrow. He placed his finger carefully on the point and gently pushed it away.

"I guess this is one of those times I should have checked when I was landing." He muttered.

Aderyn lowered the bow and arrow, throwing them onto her bed "Doctor, it's three in the morning. What the Hell are you doing?" Aderyn hissed.

"I was aiming for twelve hours later then this," The Doctor said sheepishly "We're going to the biggest and best amusement park in the Universe and I thought you might want to come along. But it's fine, I'll let you go back to bed and pop back later." The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS and smiled to himself. He knew there was no way Aderyn would refuse a trip to somewhere fun. She had done enough running and investigating recently. She deserved a break. And the Doctor was hoping that the relaxed atmosphere would mean that Aderyn and Clara would actually start to get along. He still hadn't solved the mystery that was Clara, and he so desperately wanted to know what made her so impossible. Therefore, Clara would be around far more then Aderyn liked. The Doctor still couldn't see why Aderyn hated Clara so much. The Doctor was almost offended by how little Aderyn liked Clara. She had always got on with his other travelling companions. She hadn't known Martha Jones for very long, but they had never argued. Donna Noble had taken a particular liking to Aderyn. Aderyn had been young when the Doctor had travelled with Donna. Aderyn had got on particularly well with Donna. Donna had been sarcastic and motherly, and Aderyn had somehow acquired several of the traits Donna had. She was sarcastic and caring and when she wanted to be, she was loud and commanding. And the Ponds had become her family.

As the Doctor pushed the door open, Aderyn acted as he had predicted.

"Wait a second," Aderyn said "You're going to Hedgewick's?"

"Yeah, thought you'd enjoy it, but I'm clearly interrupting." The Doctor walked into the TARDIS, but left the door open.

There was no hesitation. Aderyn ran straight into the TARDIS, ignoring Clara and the two children stood in the console room.

"What are we waiting here for then? Let's go?"

Clara cleared her throat politely "Well, we could wait for you to get changed."

Aderyn had completely forgotten that she was wearing her pyjamas. She looked down. Thankfully, the time of year meant that the nights were getting cold, so she was at least wearing trousers. She had given Jenny a shock during the summer when she had emerged from her bedroom one morning in her underwear, having removed her pyjamas in her sleep.

Aderyn leant against the railing surround the console and sighed theatrically "Where's the fun in that? But that is a good point. I'm going to get changed then we'll go." She ran to her room to get changed.

She was pleased to see that her room hadn't been changed at all. The TARDIS threw open the bedroom door before she reached it. The room was filled with the comforting blueish glow that the TARDIS knew she loved. Despite the TARDIS's large wardrobe, Aderyn had several outfits tucked away within her own room. These were just a few items of clothing that she hated the thought of anyone else wearing. The jumper and jacket she pulled on had belonged, she had been told, to the Doctor. Though she could not imagine him wearing a jumper and leather jacket. The jacket didn't fit her very well, but it smelt like the TARDIS and had deep pockets. She pulled on a pair of heavy boots and stamped heavily back to the console room. The Doctor gave her a chance to collect her phone and sonic screwdriver from her room before resuming his usual, excited dance around the console.

The two children watched Aderyn suspiciously as she followed the Doctor around the console.

"Clara, who is that?" Artie whispered.

Clara cleared her throat "Oh yes, I forgot to introduce you. This is Aderyn. Aderyn these are the children I babysit, Angie and Artie."

Aderyn smiled politely at them "Hello," she then resumed following the Doctor "Why are there kids in the TARDIS?" She whispered.

"We're not kids." Angie snapped.

Aderyn stopped and stood in front of her "You're younger then me so, yes, yes you are."

"We're here because we figured out he was a Time Traveller." Artie said matter of factly, pointing at the Doctor.

Aderyn grinned "Loosing your touch slightly in your old age are you dear? Got caught out this time."

The Doctor frowned at her "Maybe."

Aderyn smirked at him and he turned away from her quickly.

"So how do you know him? Are you friends with Clara as well?" Angie asked.

The Doctor turned back to face Aderyn, throwing her a warning look.

"Not exactly. I knew the Doctor before Clara did. He's my dad." This statement was met with raised eyebrows and quick glances between Aderyn and the Doctor.

"You know no one is ever going to believe that, right?" Clara muttered.

"Only because he looks about twelve." Aderyn sighed.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. As the TARDIS began it's rumbling wheeze to land, Aderyn slammed her hand onto the console and the wheezing stopped.

"Stop leaving the brakes on. She doesn't like it." Aderyn said.


	18. Don't Insult The TARDIS

The Doctor glared at Aderyn. He really hated it when anyone else, especially Aderyn or River, commented on his ability to fly the TARDIS. Yes, he knew he was leaving the brakes on, and yes, he did it on purpose. He liked the wheezing noise that TARDIS made. To him it was comforting and he hated it when the TARDIS landed quietly. He knew she had landed when she wheezed and rumbled.

Aderyn just smiled back at him and the Doctor knew he was fighting a loosing battle. He frowned then turned quickly to the door.

"Come on then. We're here," Aderyn and Clara were the first to run after him as he threw open the door and pranced out. "Hedgewick's World. The biggest and best amusement park there will ever be, and we've got a golden ticket. It'll be fun."

Angie leant against the TARDIS and crossed her arms "Your stupid box can't even get us to the right place. This is like a moon base or something."

The scene around them certainly did look like a movie set that was made to look like the moon. But Aderyn was returning Angie's unimpressed scowl with an over exaggerated glare.

"This isn't the moon. And don't insult the TARDIS."

"Actually, I think it does look like the moon, only dirtier." Archie said conversationally, walking a few paces away from them and looking around.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed "Well it's not the moon. It's a Spacey Zoomer ride, or it was."

Aderyn was the first to respond when a door behind them opened. She spun on her heels and automatically pushed one hand into her pocket, before she remembered that she was completely weaponless. A door in a fake rock behind them had opened and a nervous face was peering out at them.

"I don't suppose you happen to be my lift off planet? Dave's Discount Interstellar Removals?" the man hissed.

"Afraid not." Clara said.

The man sighed "Well, that's Dave for you. Unreliable." The man ducked back through the door and slammed it closed when a woman's voice cut through the quiet.

"Stay where you are?"

Aderyn mumbled a string of expletives under her breath as she turned once again. A small platoon was moving quickly towards them, guns drawn.

"Throw down your weapons and identify yourselves." The woman said. She was clearly the Captain and the other troops behind her looked scared.

"No weapons," The Doctor said quickly. He raised his hands "We have a golden ticket."

"Who are you?" The Captain barked "This planet is closed by Imperial Order."

Aderyn and the Doctor both dug in their pockets and produced the psychic paper. The Captain looked from one to the other, then from Aderyn to the Doctor. She then quickly lowered her gun. "Welcome, Proconsuls. I wish they'd told us you were coming. Any news of the Emperor?"

The Doctor frowned at the psychic paper, Aderyn causally put hers back in her pocket without looking down at it.

"Nothing yet I'm afraid. We're just here to make sure everything is going according to plan."

The Captain stood as straight as she could and snapped a smart salute. "We pray for his return. If there is anything you need, my platoon is at your service."

Aderyn returned the salute "Thank you, Captain. Don't let us keep you from you duties."

When the platoon moved out, the Doctor was still staring at the psychic paper.

"Proconsul?"

Aderyn shook her head "At least one of us is a quick thinker."

"Have they gone?" A voice whispered.

"Yes." Clara said. She turned to see the door in the rock open again. This time, the man emerged fully and closed the door carefully behind him. "Sorry, Uniforms give me the heebie-jeebies. Come on. They can't stop me being here, but they don't like it." He began to walk passed them and the Doctor and Aderyn took strides to be the first in the group that followed.

There were several traits that the Doctor had managed to pass on to Aderyn, but there were also several things she had picked up from Madame Vastra. One of the things she had got from Vastra was a general distrust of people that appeared out of nowhere and presented themselves as helpful. Both the Doctor and Aderyn wanted to keep a safe distance between this man and the children.

But Aderyn didn't really care whether Clara got too close. Clara caught up with Aderyn quickly, throwing glances over her shoulder every few paces to make sure the children were close by.

"Please tell me you have a weapon of some form." Clara whispered to Aderyn.

Aderyn shook her head "Afraid not. The Doctor really doesn't like me being armed so I don't carry a weapon on the TARDIS. Should have brought one with me though. There's something about this place I don't like."

The man stopped walking and waved his arms "Welcome to Hedgewick's."

They looked out over the old park. The rides were still and rusted. Pieces were missing from some rides. There was cracks in the concrete floor that grass had started to push it's way through. The entire park looked deserted and forgotten.

"I told you it was amazing." the Doctor said.

"It used to be." Clara said.

The man turned to them sadly "They closed it down. Wish I'd known that before I landed here. But let me show you my collection. Come along. Follow me."

The man turned back the way they had just walked and opened the door in the rock. He waved his hand, indicating everyone else should go in first. Aderyn put her hand in her pocket and closed her fingers around her sonic screwdriver. Although technically not a weapon, it was the only thing she had right now that could be used to defend herself.

They descended a short staircase into a comfortably furnished living area. There were two large sofas that had seen better days. The walls were lined with waxwork figures that were lit by small chandeliers hanging above them.

"Welcome to my show," the man said, walking into the room and dipping into a bow "Webley's World of Wonders. Miracles, marvels and more await you. I am Impresario Webley. You see before you waxwork representations of the famous and the infamous. Anybody here play chess?"

The Doctor raised his hand excitably, but Webley ignored him. Instead he looked at Artie "How about you young man?"

Artie beamed with pride "Well I'm in my school chess club."

"Then allow me to demonstrate to you all, the wonder of the age, the miracle of modernity," Webley lead them into a second room. This room was smaller then the first. There was a table with a chess board in the middle of the room. Next to it was a large shape covered in a silk cloth.

Webley whipped the cloth off of whatever was beneath it "We defeated them all a thousand years ago, but now he's back, to destroy you. Behold, the enemy!"

Beneath the cloth was the torso, arms and head of a Cyberman. Reactions were instantaneous. Aderyn pulled the sonic screwdriver from her pocket and the Doctor ducked. But the Cyberman didn't move. Without taking her eyes from the stationary Cyberman, Aderyn reached down and grabbed the Doctor's jacket, lifting him easily.

"No need to panic, my young friends. We all know there are no more living Cybermen. What you are seeing is a miracle. The six hundred and ninety ninth wonder of the universe, as displayed before the Imperial court, and only here to destroy you at chess." Webley smiled.

Aderyn circled the Cyberman and table, sonic screwdriver held out in front of her.

"Careful," Webley warned "A hollow shell and yet it moves. How?"

"Magic?" Angie guessed.

Aderyn snorted with derision "There's no such thing as magic."

"A single penny wins you five imperial shillings if you beat this empty shall at chess." Webley declared.

Artie dug in his pockets and withdrew a sandwich. "I don't have a penny. But I have this." He held it out. Webley took it and pulled out the seat opposite the Cyberman.

Artie sat down, ready to play. Artie moved his King's Bishop's pawn one space. The Cyberman countered by moving its King's pawn two spaces. Artie picked up his King's Knight pawn and moved it forward.

"No, Artie. Don't do that." The Doctor said quickly. But it was too late, Artie had already let go of the chess piece. The Cyberman moved it's Queen forward, bringing the game to an end.

"That's a fool's mate." The Doctor said with despair.

Webley smiled "A sliver penny to whoever can tell me how it works."

Aderyn crossed her arms and smirked "I offer a different deal, if I can beat the Cyberman and tell you how it works, you keep the silver penny and we get you off this planet but you tell us what is going on here?"

Webley considered her for a second then smiled "But the Cyberman has never been beaten."

Aderyn shrugged "First time for everything,"

Artie vacated the chair and Aderyn sat heavily in it. The game was over quickly.

"Smothered Mate," Aderyn said triumphantly, standing up. She ducked quickly "And as for how it works." She pulled open a small door in the base of the Cyberman's chair. A small man was sat in the control box.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello." Aderyn replied.

"Give us a hand."

Aderyn reached into the control box and helped the man out of the box.

"They call me Porridge. And it's good to be out of that box," Porridge stretched then looked around at Webley. "A deal is a deal. She beat the Cyberman and told you how it was done."

Webley sighed "This place was amazing once. The most popular amusement park in the galaxy. But then it was closed down."

"Why?" Aderyn demanded.

"People started disappearing. One minute they'd be enjoying the rides and attractions, then nothing. They would simply just disappear. So they shut down the entire planet." Webley said.

Aderyn frowned. The Doctor didn't like it when she frowned like that. It usually meant he was missing something. But there really seemed to be nothing wrong with park now except the years of disrepair.

Webley smiled weakly then walked into the first room, quickly changing the subject "I have not one but three Cybermen in my collection." He said. The others followed him. There were indeed two other Cybermen, stationary and serene.

"Who's this?" Angie asked, pointing at a waxwork figure.

"The Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, etc, etc, the forty first. Defender of Humanity, Imperator of known space." Webley said.

"He looks a bit full of himself." Clara said.

"Don't say things like that about the Imperial family. You can end up on the run for the rest of your life," Porridge snorted. He then looked from Artie and Angie to Clara "If the kids want to ride the Spacey Zoomer, then I can operate the gravity console." The kids beamed and followed him out.

Aderyn was staring curiously at the waxwork, a small smirk curling the corner of her mouth. She turned away from it when the Doctor shouted "Come on Addy."


	19. Funny Insects

Aderyn soon forgot her unease when she saw the kids smiling and laughing as the microgravity sent them soaring. But something caught the corner of her eye. It was something small that had moved incredibly quickly. But when she looked around it had already disappeared.

The Doctor looked around. He could have sworn he had seen something, just briefly, in his peripheral vision. He realised that Aderyn was looking in the same direction he was. So it wasn't just him that had seen it. But when Aderyn shook her head and returned her attention to watching the kids, he did them same. They were both probably just imagining things.

Artie and Angie reached the ground softly as Porridge switched off the ride.

"I think that was the most fun I've had in my whole life." Artie said enthusiastically.

Angie grinned "That was," She paused as though realising she was actually showing signs of having had a good time. She stopped smiling and shrugged "Okay."

Aderyn rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want a go?" Porridge asked.

Aderyn looked down at him "I definitely don't. I prefer roller coasters."

Artie peered over Clara's arms at the photos she had taken of them on her phone "I think outer space is very interesting." He said.

"This isn't even the best of it." Aderyn smiled.

The Doctor looked around wearily. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was, somehow, being watched. The he saw it. A small, silver insect. It was definitely made of metal. He took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and approached it. But as he took a step towards it, it moved so quickly he instantly lost sight of it.

"Wonderful day out, Doctor, but time to get the kids home." Clara said.

"Not actually ready to leave." The Doctor replied quietly.

"Why not?" Aderyn asked.

The Doctor shrugged "Reasons."

Aderyn looked at Clara, who rolled her eyes "What reasons?"

"Insects." The Doctor replied quietly.

Aderyn frowned "You saw them?"

"Yes," The Doctor said slowly "Insects. Funny insects. I should add them to my funny insect collection."

"You have a funny insect collection?" Clara queried.

The Doctor turned back round to face them, a strange smile on his face "I'm going to start one."

Aderyn rested her face in her palms. So this was going to be one of _those_ trips. The kind where the Doctor will insist that everything is fine but his eyes will betray him. His eyes will give away his worry and his concern. They always did.


	20. No One Needs Rescuing

Webley was happy to allow Angie and Artie to stay in his humble abode while the Doctor, Aderyn and Clara went to investigate.

Before they left Aderyn, unceremoniously, threw blankets at the two children.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Angie whined.

"Not long. Have a nap." The Doctor said, pacing restlessly.

As soon as they were settled, the Doctor hurried Clara and Aderyn to the door. He flicked off the light as he went passed. When the door closed, Angie and Artie led back on the old, but comfortable sofas. They both jumped when the door opened again and the Doctor stuck his head back into the room.

"Don't wonder off," he said sternly "Now, I'm not just saying don't wander off, I mean it. Otherwise you'll wander off and the next thing you know, somebody's going to have to start rescuing somebody."

"Rescued from what?" Angie snapped.

The Doctor was pulled away from the door and Aderyn took his place "Nothing," She said quickly "No one needs rescuing from anything. Just don't wonder off. Sweet dreams." She pulled the door closed and Angie and Artie both heard her telling the Doctor not to scare the kids.

"We're not kids." Angie shouted at the closed door.

"Yes you are." Aderyn shouted back.

Angie instantly grabbed her phone as soon as she thought Aderyn and the Doctor were out of earshot. She sighed "I hate the future. There's not even phone service," She muttered. She threw back the blanket she had been covered in and stood. "I'm out of here." She headed for the door.

Artie sat up quickly "The Doctor and Aderyn said not to wonder off." He said quickly.

Angie rolled her eyes "They said that then wondered off." She pulled the door open.

"I don't think Clara would like it."

Angie turned to look at Artie. He could be such a child sometimes "She's not our mum." She spat then slammed the door behind her.

Clara and Porridge walked slowly through the ruins of the amusement park. They let Aderyn and the Doctor dash to and fro, sonicing anything that looked remotely suspect...or normal.

"So was this really the biggest amusement park in the universe?" Clara asked conversationally.

"Yeah. Hedgewick bought the planet cheap. It'd been trashed in the Cyberwars." Porridge said.

Clara frowned "Who were you fighting?"

"Cybermen," Behind Porridge, Aderyn was suddenly paying attention. She stopped pointing her sonic screwdriver at a random hunk of metal and walked quickly to catch up with them. "Technologically upgraded warriors. We couldn't win. Sometimes we fought to a draw, but then they'd upgrade themselves, fix their weaknesses and destroy us. It's hard to fight an enemy that uses your armies as spare parts." Porridge continued.

"You beat them though. Beat them or you wouldn't be here. How?" Porridge and Clara stopped walking and turned to face Aderyn. She was looking sadly down at Porridge.

Porridge sighed and turned away, pointing at the sky "Look up there. That corner of sky. What do you see?"

Aderyn looked at where he was pointing. Among the stars and swirls of galaxies there was a space. A space in space where there was nothing.

"Nothing," Clara said "It's just black. No stars, no nothing."

Aderyn, still looking at the sky, walked forwards. She paid no attention to where she was going and Clara gasped as she reached an area where there was nothing. The ground had fallen away and nothing but the rusted steel rail of a long abandoned roller coaster stopped her plummeting. She stopped walking. With out looking round she said "Sometimes the oddest beauty can be found in the saddest of places."

"What was that?" Clara asked.

Aderyn shrugged and looked round at them "Nothing. Just something River said to me once," She then looked down and stared at her feet as though confused as to where the ground had gone. She walked slowly backwards, glad when she finally had solid ground beneath her feet. "What used to be there in that empty space?"

"Tiberion Spiral Galaxy. A million star systems, a hundred million worlds, a billion trillion people. It's not there any more. No more Tiberion Galaxy. No more Cybermen. It was effective," Porridge looked down at his feet "Sometimes I feel like a monster."

"Why?" Clara asked.

"Because instead of mourning a billion trillion dead people, I just feel sorry for the poor blighter who had to press the button and blow it all up."

"The best decisions aren't always the easiest to put into action." Aderyn said quietly.

Porridge looked up at her and smiled "Something else this River person said to you?"

Aderyn nodded. She always felt slightly awkward talking about River these days. Especially to people she didn't know. In an attempt to hide her sudden bashfulness, she turned away with the pretence of looking for the Doctor. He wasn't far from them, his attention had been drawn by one of the rides. He had abandoned his sonic screwdriver which had been put clumsily in his pocket and was using an almost comically large magnifying glass to inspect the rides controls. She smiled at him, but her smile faded when she saw movement in the distance. Aderyn would be the first to admit that she was terribly short sighted, but the Doctor had been fiddling with her contact lenses so her eyesight, when she was wearing them, was considerably better then the average Time Lord. So it was with confidence in what she had seen that she sighed and turned to Clara "Angie has the makings of one of the Doctor's companions."

"Why?" Clara frowned.

"She wondered off. She's just gone into the barracks. We better go and get her." Aderyn headed towards the barracks, grabbing the Doctor's jacket as she went passed and muttering quickly to him. He grumbled under his breath as he waited for Clara and Porridge to catch up.

"Does she ever listen?" The Doctor muttered.

Clara smiled "As much as Aderyn does."


	21. They Talk to Their Porridge?

Captain Alice Ferrin had far more important things to worry about then children wondering around a dilapidated amusement park. Had she thought more about it, she probably would have realised that she should have thought more about why the Proconsul had brought children with them. But she found herself caring very little until Angie strode into the barracks.

"Hello, I'm bored." Angie said loudly as she entered.

With a confused frown, Ferrin approached her cautiously "Where are your sisters?"

Angie snorted "Aderyn and Clara aren't my sisters. Aderyn is mean and Clara is stupid. They're talking to Porridge."

Ferrin's confusion increased "They talk to their porridge?"

Angie shook her head "No. Porridge, that little bloke."

Ferrin put a hand on Angie's shoulder and gently steered her towards a quiet corner "I think we should have a little chat."  
_

Artie sat up again. Looking around the room in the dark was enough to make anyone nervous. The waxworks loomed over him, staring down at him. He threw back the blanket.

"I'm not scared, if you're wondering. I just think I ought to turn the light back on." He said, to no one in particular. But he felt he should announce his lack of fear just in case anyone was near by and thought he was a scaredy cat. He reached for the light switch, expecting something to reach out and grab his hand, or be waiting in the dark. But as the low light flooded the room, there was no one else there and nothing grabbed him. He sighed with relief and headed back to the sofa. As he took a step towards it, something did grab him. Something tall and shiny and made of metal. He screamed.  
_

"I told you not to wonder off." Aderyn shouted as she, Clara and the Doctor stormed into the barracks.

"You have to barge in and ruin everything, don't you?" Angie shouted at them "I wasn't doing anything. Can't you just leave me alone?"

Clara reached her first "No we can't," she said fiercely "You were told to stay there for a reason."

"I'm not a child." Angie snapped.

"We have no idea what's going on here. So put this brat attitude to one side and think about that instead. You had no idea what you were walking into." Aderyn said.

There was a loud crash behind them and they turned to the door. Marching through was a Cyberman.

"Attack formation!" Ferrin shouted.

One of the platoon ran towards the Cyberman as it started to move across the room, but he was easily swatted aside and sent crashing into a table. The Cyberman began to move with unimaginable speed. It became a blur as it made its journey across the room.

Aderyn watched it as it went. She tried to move but her feet were frozen to the floor. The Cyberman moved so quickly that everyone else appeared frozen in time. But Aderyn was able to turn her head to follow it's movements. Unable to do anything, she was forced to watch in horror as it threw Angie over it's shoulder before disappearing through a doorway, taking Angie with it. Then suddenly, she found herself running for the door, Clara close to her. But the Doctor was quicker then they were and soon had hold of them both.

"No. I want both of you to stay here." He said.

"That was a Cyberman." Aderyn said quietly.

"But they're extinct." Ferrin said in disbelief.

"Well clearly not," Clara snapped "Doctor, we need to get Angie back."

"I will get her back," The Doctor said firmly "Captain, a word if you please. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I take it your platoon doesn't do much fighting."

"We're a punishment platoon. It's why they sent us here, so we wouldn't get into trouble." Ferin said quickly.

"Well you're in trouble," The Doctor then looked from Aderyn to Clara "As Imperial Consul I'm putting Clara in charge of the troops. That includes you." He ripped the insignia from the Captain's jacket and stuck it carefully to Clara's. "Clara, stay alive until I get back. Aderyn, make sure they don't blow up the planet. And get somewhere defensible."

"What are you going to do?" Aderyn shouted after him as he headed for the door the Cyberman had gone through.

"I'm getting Angie, finding Artie and looking for funny insects. Stay alive. And no blowing up this planet!" The Doctor then ran from the barracks.


	22. Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle

"What weapons do we have?" Aderyn asked as soon as the Doctor had left.

"Cyberiad class weaponry. I've taken it out of storage." Ferrin replied.

Clara was looking over a map of the park. "We need to find somewhere defensible." She said over her shoulder.

Ferrin walked over to her and looked at the map, pointing at various attractions "The beach, the Giant's Cauldron, Natty Longshoe's Comical Castle."

"Real castle? Drawbridge? Moat?" Aderyn asked.

Ferrin nodded "But comical."

"We'll go there." Clara said matter of factly. Aderyn didn't complain. She shrugged and nodded. It was Captain Ferrin who clearly didn't agree with the idea.

"My platoon can deal with one Cyberman, and there are protocols if we cannot immediately find and destroy it."

"Blowing up the planet protocols?" Aderyn asked sarcastically.

"Respectfully, ma'am..."Ferrin started.

"Somewhere defensible. No blowing up the planet." Clara interrupted.

Ferrin opened her mouth to complain. But Porridge walk up behind her, taking her by surprise.

"She's your commanding officer now, isn't she, Captain?"

Ferrin let out a defeated sigh "Yes sir."

Clara smiled "Right then, let's move." She turned and expected Aderyn to follow. But Aderyn was staring at the map on the wall, a far away look in her eyes. Clara gently tapped Aderyn's shoulder. Aderyn turned with a start and followed Clara, though she still looked distracted.

Ferrin watched them with undisguised annoyance.

"You really saw a Cyberman?" Porridge asked.

"We really did." Ferrin confirmed.  
_

The Doctor reached Webley's rooms quickly. He barely paid attention to where he was going. He just knew he had to get there quickly. His head buzzed with a thousand possibilities, how many Cybermen were there? Would they be as easily defeated as they have been in the past? Even back then it hadn't been easy. When he did get back, he ran through the door and instantly knew he was too late. There was no sign of Artie. But what there was, was a small silver mite, looking at him from it's perch on a table. Sonic screwdriver in hand, he approached it carefully. It didn't move. He leant in close to it. "Firstly, if anybody's watching this, those children are under my protection. I'm coming to get them. And secondly, little metal machine, you are beautiful," He sonicked the insect "Not even a Cybermat any more, eh? Cybermites. Now, there's a local transmat link open to your home. If I can just find the frequency," There was a sudden flash and the Doctor looked around. He certainly wasn't in Webley's place anymore "I wasn't actually expecting that to work."

He looked around. Stood, eerily still, was Angie and Artie. The Doctor rushed to them. Despite his constant questioning their well being, neither replied.

"We needed children, but the children had stopped coming," the Doctor spun quickly. Behind him was Webley. But it wasn't Webley. Most of his face had been replaced by mechanical parts. "You brought us children. Hail to you, the Doctor, saviour of the Cybermen!"


	23. They'd Just Blow the Sucker Up

Clara had taken control of the platoon with surprising ease. Though much to Clara's surprise, Aderyn had been quiet and far from her sarcastic, argumentative self. She followed Clara unquestioningly and seemed constantly distracted. During their journey to the castle, Clara had needed to draw Aderyn's attention to where she was going several times and she often slowed and trailed behind. Clara was concerned. She would be the first to admit that she didn't like Aderyn as much as she felt she probably should. But there was definitely something not right. Aderyn had more faith in the Doctor then Clara did, and Clara knew that the Doctor would easily find and rescue the children, so she knew it wasn't worry that was the reason for Aderyn's bizarre behaviour.

As they reached the castle, Clara looked round at the platoon that had been following her and sighed with annoyance when she realised she couldn't see Aderyn in the group.

"Where is she?" She tutted.

A curly haired young man pointed nervously over his shoulder. As Clara started back the way they had come, she spotted Aderyn. Aderyn was stood, unmoving, by the moat, staring up at the castle. Her arms were held limply by her sides and her back was straight. She didn't speak or move as Clara approached her. When Clara reached out and touched her arm, Aderyn jumped and spun quickly to face her.

"Are you ok?" Clara asked.

Aderyn shook her head but smiled at Clara "Yes. I'm fine. Sorry I was in a world of my own for a second there." She then walked quickly passed Clara, catching up with the platoon.

Pushing Aderyn to the back of her mind, Clara took charge once again.

"What would the Empire do if they were alerted?"

Ferrin raised her eyebrows "Tell me to blow up the planet."

"After the got us off?" Clara asked hopefully.

Ferrin looked at her feet. Aderyn, who was once again paying attention, grimaced "Take that as a no, Clara."

Ferrin shook her head "No. They'd just blow the sucker up."

"With respect, ma'am, we ought to be hunting the creature." Said one of the platoon.

Clara looked round at him. It was the curly haired man who had pointed out Aderyn. "The only reason I am alive is because I listen to the Doctor. Can you guarantee me you'd bring back my children alive and unharmed?"

The young man shook his head.

"I trust the Doctor." Clara said.

"You think he knows what he's doing?" Ferrin asked quietly.

Aderyn snorted "I'm not sure I'd go that far."  
_

"As the battle raged between humanity and the Cyberiad, the Cyberplanners built a Valkyrie, to save critically damaged units and bring them here, and one by one, repair them."

The Doctor stared at the Cyber-Webley in disbelief "The people who vanished from the amusement park, they were spare parts for repairs."

"We have upgraded ourselves. The next model will be undefeatable."

"Nothing is undefeatable." The Doctor spat.

"We needed children to build a new Cyberplanner. A child's brain, with its infinite potential, is perfect for our needs. But we no longer need the children. The Cybermites have been scanning your brain, Doctor. It's quite remarkable." Webley explained.

The Doctor allowed himself a triumphant smile "Also completely useless to you. Cybermen use human parts. I'm not human. You can't convert non-humans."

"Well, that was true a long time ago. But we've upgraded ourselves. Current Cyberunits use almost any living components."

The Doctor's smiled vanished. His smugness became mild terror as a handful of Cybermites was launched at him. They were all over him. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't sweep them off his clothes. He could soon feel them crawling up his shirt sleeves. He screamed. But the scream became a laugh, high and maniacal, as an intricate pattern of silver lines curled around one eye.

"Incorporated. Yes. Ah. Unfamiliar pulmonary set-up. Nervous system hyperconductive. Remarkable brain processing speed. Ho, ho. Amazing." The Doctor cheered.

With a sudden, neck cracking movement, the Doctor turned his head.

The side of his face that had no silver was glaring ferociously "Get out of my head!" He shouted.


	24. Do you Play Chess?

Around him, the constellations of Cyberspace danced and in front of him, he saw himself. But not the him he saw in the mirror. The Cyber-Doctor wore a smirk that the Doctor had never seen, and never wished to see again, grace his features. Though he was struck by the realisation that Aderyn had been right. His jaw line really was let down by his chin. The glimmering light bounced off of the silver that framed one of the Cyber-Doctor's eyes. The Doctor let his gaze drink in his surroundings. This was Cyberspace. There wasn't much in it, just a myriad of thin, light networks expanding further then he could see.

"Stop rummaging in my mind." The Doctor snapped.

The Cyber-Doctor smirked again "Just you try and stop me. Ooo, who's Clara. Why are you thinking about her so much?"

"Enough."

But the Cyber-Doctor was not to be deterred "Fascinating. A complete mental block. Highly effective," The Doctor fidgeted where he stood, trying desperately to make sure this Cyber thing couldn't find out more then he already knew. But the Cyber-Doctor smiled calmly at him "Relax. Relax. If you just relax, you will find this a perfectly pleasant experience. You are being upgraded and incorporated into the Cyberiad as a Cyberplanner. We need another one."

This is not what the Doctor had planned when he had decided that a trip to an amusement park had been in order.

"What is this place, a network? A hive? You're getting signals from every Cyberman everywhere. How many of you are there?"

But this Cyber...thing that had invaded his very being, paid no attention to the Doctor.

"Oh, this is brilliant. I'm so clever already, and now I'm a million times more clever. And what a brain. Not a human brain, not even slightly human. I mean, I'm going to have to completely rework the neural interface, but this is going to be the most efficient Cyberplanner. Not a great name, that, is it? I could call myself Mister Clever. So much raw data. Time Lords. There's information on the Time Lords in here. Oh, this is just dreamy."

The way the Doctor saw it, he had only one option. He hated it when there was only one thing he could do because it was never a good thing. He clenched his jaw, trying to figure out another way. But he couldn't see it. "Right, I'm allowing you access to memories on Time Lord regeneration," He said eventually. Somewhere in the Cyberspace, images flashed. Each image was one of the Doctor's many faces. He saw the images flash from the corner of his eye and briefly wondered what happened to that long scarf he had once worn, the leather jacket (no, wait. Aderyn was wearing that), the jumper covered in question marks, the ornamental leek. "I could regenerate right now. A big blast of regeneration energy, burn out any little Cyberwidgets in my brain, along with everything you're connected to. Don't want to. You use this me up, who knows what we'll get next? But I can." The Cyber-Doctor shrugged "Stalemate, then. One of us needs to control this head. We're too well-balanced."

The Doctor's eyes widened. For once he didn't need someone else to point out the glaringly obvious thing he'd missed "What did you say? I heard you. Rhetorical device to keep me thinking about it a bit more. Stalemate?"

"We each control forty nine point eight eight one percent of this brain. Point two three eight of the brain is still in the balance. Whoever gets this gets the whole thing."

The Doctor thought for a second then smiled "Do you play chess?"

The Cyber-Doctor frowned "The rules of chess are in my memory banks. You're proposing we play chess to end the stalemate?"

"Winner takes all. Nobody can access that portion of the brain without winning the game." The Doctor extended his hand towards his impostor. The Cyber-Doctor shook his hand. And so the game began.


	25. Is It OK If I Hide?

Brains, the curly haired, nervous young man, walked nervously through the castle. He and a young, and equally nervous, woman named Missy, had been charged with making sure it was clear. So far, there had been nothing. His hand shook as he lifted the radio "Castles clear. Missy, confirm status."

Missy had the radio in her hand before Brains had finished talking. She had realised early into this excursion that there was nothing here. But Brains had been the first point of contact. He had gone further into the Castle then she had. "All clear in he power station," She had almost put her radio back on her belt when she heard a thud. She listened for a second. Then there was another thud. Closer this time. She lifted the radio again "Missy here," She said in a whisper "Something's out there."

She pressed her back against a wall, looking frantically around her.

"What do you mean? Is it the Cyberman?" Brains asked her.

"I don't know. I couldn't see it. Can I hide? Is it ok if I hide?" She had no time to listen to the reply. She saw it, stomping through. A Cyberman.

Sounding infinitely more confident then she felt, Missy stepped away from the wall and squared herself up to the Cyberman. It stopped.

"Don't move. I'm in the army." Even her false confidence fled when the Cyberman began to advance. She ran. She was able to get enough of a head start to duck behind a pile of scaffold poles before the Cyberman turned the corner. She held her breath as it walked passed her hiding place. When it had gone passed her, she let out a long breath. The Cyberman stopped. Had it heard her? She prayed silently that it hadn't heard her. Her prayers went unanswered as the Cyberman removed one of its hands, placing it on the floor. The Cyber-hand scuttled across the floor, right to her feet. Then it leapt up and clamped itself to her face. She screamed.  
_

Clara caught herself watching Aderyn again. She was being odd. She paced and whispered to herself. She even, once, slowly raised her hand to her forehead and slapped herself as though she were trying to swat a fly. Clara tried her best to keep Aderyn's attention on the task at hand. But no matter what she did, Aderyn fell frequently into a hesitant, daydream like state. So Clara let her get on with it. At least this way, Aderyn wasn't causing an argument.

They had made their way into the castle as soon as Brains had shouted that Missy had said it was all clear. So Clara wasn't happy to see Brains running towards her now, looking worried and scared.

"Ma'am, Missy said she heard something then went quiet." He stammered.

Aderyn rushed over to them. "It's on it's way then." She said. One corner of her mouth twitched several times in quick succession as though she were trying to hide a half smile.

"Weapons. Show me. Only one gun?" Clara demanded, quickly falling back into the leader role.

Ferrin glared at her. She still wasn't happy that Clara had been put in charge "Cybermen have been extinct for a thousand years. Even one Anti-Cyber gun is a miracle. These things," Ferrin opened a case and pulled out gloves. Each glove had a small device set into the palm "are hand-pulsers. Touch the back of a Cyberman's head, the electomagnetic pulse deactivates it."

Aderyn pointed at a second case. It was large and black and looked ominous "What's this for? Just a mad guess here, it blows up the planet?"

"Implodes it," Ferrin corrected "There's also a trigger unit."

Aderyn held out her hand "I'll have that then." Ferrin picked up the unit but looked questioningly at Clara, who nodded, before handing it to Aderyn. Clara hoped that having a more active role to play would, somehow, help keep Aderyn on track.

"Is there any other way to activate it?" Clara asked.

Ferrin nodded "It's set to respond to my voice. I have the verbal code." She said.

"You will not activate it without a direct order from me."

Ferrin knew that she wouldn't win an argument. Although Clara was small, Aderyn was taller. And she didn't like the way Aderyn watched her, as though calculating how easy it would be to take her down. Clara, she knew, she could easily restrain. But Aderyn looked unpredictable. And also like she might fight dirty. "I will follow my orders." Ferrin said.

Brains fumbled with a clipboard and dropped his pen at Aderyn's feet. He blushed fiercely when Aderyn stooped to pick it up. "You'll need to sign for that trigger unit, ma'am."

Aderyn took the clipboard from his shaking hand "Just call me Aderyn."


	26. We Need a Plan of Action

The Doctor considered the chess board as the last piece was put in it's place.

"You understand, when I do win, the Cyberiad gets your brains and memories. All of it." The Cyber-Doctor taunted.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows "When I win, you get out of my head, you let the children go, and nobody dies. You got that? Nobody dies!"

The Cyber-Doctor shrugged "The game has just started. Doctor, why is there no record of you anywhere in the databanks of the Cyberiad?" He paused then smiled "Oh, you're good. Oh, you've been eliminating yourself from history. You know you could be reconstructed by the hole you've left."

The Doctor frowned "Good point. I'll do something about that."

"The rules of chess allow only a finite number of moves, and I can use other Cyberunits as remote processors. You cannot possibly win."

The Doctor grimaced. He hated it when other people were smug. "I can. I know things you don't. For example, did you know very early versions of the Cyber operating system could be seriously scrambled by exposure to things, like gold, or cleaning fluid?" He slipped his hand, unnoticed into his pocket "And what's interesting is, you're still running some of that code."

The Cyber-Doctor snorted "Really. That's your secret weapon? Cleaning fluid?"

"Nope. Gold." The Doctor withdrew his hand from his pocket. There was a flash of gold before the Doctor managed to reach up and slap the golden ticket onto the silver side of his face. There was sudden silence and calm in his mind. He knew then it had worked. But for how long he couldn't say. These Cybermen seemed able to upgrade quicker then before. He stood with a flourish "Like a charm. Right, you, Cyber Webley, and you kid things. I'll bring the chessboard. Let's get out of here."  
_

Porridge and Ferrin walked slowly around the battlements of the comical castle. There was an odd awkwardness between them.

"You knew it was me." Porridge said eventually.

"I was in the Imperial Guard on Caspertine. Mostly just parades, but I had the honour to guard the old Emperor during the ice picnic." Ferrin said.

Porridge smiled at the memory "When the snow bears came and danced for us. That was a day."

Ferrin sighed "We're a punishment platoon. We can't beat a Cyberman. The Imperium has to know what's happening."

"But the communicators are out. The only way you can report this now is to activate the bomb," Ferrin opened her mouth to respond Porridge, but he stopped her "And I forbid you to do that."

Ferrin tried to argue her point, but this time it was Clara who stopped her. Clara and Aderyn had been strolling along the battlements in the opposite direction to Porridge and Ferrin. And they had finally caught up.

"I don't get it," Clara was saying " Why would you blow up a whole planet and everybody on it just to get rid of one Cyberman?" Aderyn shrugged a non committal shrug.

"We tried other ways, but they only work sometimes, so now we take drastic action. And it works." Porridge said.

Ferrin finally lost her temper. She held up the bomb, holding it close to her chest "If you find a Cyberman and you can't destroy it immediately, you implode the planet. I was sent here because I didn't follow orders. I can make up for that."

"Have you gone crazy?" Aderyn snapped.

"Put it down. I forbid you." Clara said firmly.

Porridge pointed at Clara and Aderyn "What they said."

Ferrin glared at Porridge "You ran away. I will do what I was brought up to do. Live for the Empire, fight for the Empire, die for the Empire," she held the bomb tighter and pressed a small button "This is Captain Alice Ferrin, Imperial ID one nine delta one three B. Activate" But something happened before she could finish the activation sequence. A shot came out of nowhere and soon Ferrin was no more.

Aderyn had grabbed Clara and pushed her to the floor before Porridge had finished telling them there was a Cyberman.

Clara rolled onto her back and looked up at Aderyn, who was crouched slightly, peering through a window slit. "The Doctor said to get somewhere easily defensible, but if we just stay in the castle it'll pick us off one by one. We have to take it out." After a minute, Aderyn pulled Clara to her feet as another member of the platoon, who had run over when Ferrin and picked up the bomb.

"Is that an order?" He asked.

"Yes." Clara said.

He smiled "Good."

"We need a plan of action," Aderyn said. She looked out again across the moat surrounding the castle. "We could use this castle to our advantage."


	27. We Need a New Plan

Using the comical castle as base of operations, they decided the best course of action was flush out the Cyberman into the open. Then the plan started to be less of a plan and more of a hope.

They split up into two teams. Clara wasn't happy with allowing Aderyn to go off in a team without her, but she had noticed that Aderyn was starting to become herself a little more. Or at least that's what she thought.  
_

Aderyn followed the few platoon members from a distance. Her aim was to jump in when it was necessary. But she wasn't really paying much attention. They branched out in different directions, neither team wanting to be the one that spotted the Cyberman first. As Aderyn looked around, acting more on guard then she was actually feeling, she didn't notice one of the women in her group wonder away from the rest of them. When she did realise she rolled her eyes and wondered further away in the hopes of seeing her. When she did see the woman, it was too late. She was slowly creeping up on the Cyberman, pulser fixed over her hand. Aderyn held her breath and slunk back into the shadows. There was no way she could do anything now without drawing attention to the poor woman, trying to be as quiet as possible as she approached the Cyberman. Just when it looked like there was a glimmer of hope, hope was dashed as the Cyberman turned it's head and saw the woman.

Aderyn turned away as the woman was killed. She ran back to the platoon, radio in hand. "We have a Cyberman here. And a platoon member down." she garbled.

She had been relieved they had finally found the Cyberman. The relief was short lived when Clara replied.

"We've got one here."

Aderyn's breathes came in short, panicked bursts "There's more then one. This isn't just a lone survivor. We need a new plan."  
_

Clara had only been half listening to Aderyn. She watched in horror as two of her team were easily taken down by the Cyberman. She hung back, letting the rest of the plan roll. The remaining member of her team stood, resolutely in the Cyberman's path.

"I've heard about the Cybermen since I was in my cradle. I'm not afraid of you."

Clara clutched the gun in her hands. It was the only one they had. She hadn't trusted Aderyn with it. Besides, Aderyn was quicker then she was and more likely to be able to get behind a Cyberman then she was. The Cyberman moved towards them.

From her hiding spot, Clara shouted "Now!" The soldier ducked away from Clara's line of sight as she held up the gun, shooting the Cyberman, which hit the floor heavily. The pair looked at each other and smiled. But Clara's smiled faded when she saw the two dead soldiers rise from the floor.

"One more step and I fire." Clara shouted, raising the gun at them as they moved towards her.

The soldier scooped up Clara's abandoned pulser along with his own "Don't fire that. A pulse with deactivate them," And that's what he did. He looked sadly at Clara as the soldiers fell " And anyway, it's a waste of charge. We're going to need it again."


	28. The Little Bird and The Impossible Girl

Clara bumped into Aderyn on her way back to the castle. Aderyn looked less then happy "We're definitely dealing with more then one Cyberman. Though how many, I couldn't say."

"Have you come across them before?" Clara asked quietly.

Aderyn nodded "But not like this. And always with the Doctor. But where is he now?"

Clara pointed ahead of them "Right there."

Sure enough, approaching the castle from the opposite direction was the Doctor. Artie, Angie and Webley were following him. Though something was very wrong.

"You didn't let them blow up the planet. Good job." He said cheerfully as he reached them.

"Doctor, what's going on? Are the kids alright?" Clara asked quickly.

"A bit of a good news, bad news, good news again thing going on. So, good news, I've kidnapped the Cyberplanner and right now I'm sort of in control of this Cyberman." The Doctor said sheepishly.

"Bad news? And I have a feeling you should make it quick." Aderyn said.

The Doctor frowned at her and leant close, peering into her eyes "Are you alright?" He asked.

Far from doing the usual thing of squirming under the Doctor's close gaze, Aderyn merely blinked "I said make it quick."

"Well. Bad news, the Cyberplanner's in my head. And, different bad news, the kids are, well, it's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Clara demanded.

"Complicated as in walking coma." The Doctor raised the chess board he was carrying, hiding behind it as Clara walked round him and stood in front of the children.

"And the other good news?" Aderyn asked.

The Doctor smiled "Well, in other good news, there are a few more repaired and reactivated Cybermen on the way, and the Cyberplanner's installing a patch for the gold thing."

Aderyn peered around the Doctor at Clara "I said he had to make it quick."

"Wait, that's not good news is it? But there is good news. I have a chance of winning my chess game."

"What chess game?" Clara stood in front of the Doctor this time and he once again hid behind the chess board.

"I'll explain later. In a bit of a hurry. Get me to a table, and somebody tie me up! Need hands free for chess. And immobilise me, quickly."

It was Aderyn who opted to tie up the Doctor. He was lashed to a chair around his waist, leaving his hands free. He experimentally tried to stand but found no matter how much he strained against the rope, he couldn't break free.

"Good." He muttered.

"You're playing chess with yourself?" Aderyn asked as she pulled the rope a little tighter.

"And I'm winning," Without warning, the Doctor ripped off the golden ticket that had been stuck to his face. Aderyn and Clara got a full view of the silver that was taking over his face.

"Actually, he has no better than a twenty five percent chance of winning at this stage in the game. Some very dodgy moves at the beginning. Hello, flesh girls. Fantastic. I'm the Cyberplanner." The Cyber-Doctor straightened his bow tie and grinned at Clara and Aderyn.

Aderyn rested her face in her hands "Trust the Doctor to do something like this."

"So it's the Little Bird and," He turned to Clara and grinned slyly "The Impossible Girl."

"Why am I impossible?" Clara asked.

The Cyber-Doctor winked "Hasn't he told you? The sly devil. Oh, dear me. Listen, soon we'll wake. We'll strip you down for spare parts, then build a spaceship and move on."

Clara folded her arms "More Cybermen?"

The Cyber-Doctor leant forward as much as the restraints would allow "They're waking from their tomb right now. You can either die or live on as one of us."

Aderyn was listening, although when Clara glanced at her it looked like she wasn't. Had Clara thought to follow Aderyn's line of sight she would have realised why Aderyn looked like she wasn't paying attention. As the Cyber-Doctor and Clara spoke, the Doctor's hand had found a notepad and pencil and was busy scribbling.

"The Doctor will stop you." Clara said confidently.

"He can't even access the lips." The Cyber-Doctor grinned.

The Doctor's hand stopped writing. 'Hit me'. That's what the Doctor had written. Aderyn marched forward, interrupting a maniacal laugh from the Cyber-Doctor. She raised her hand and hit the Doctor in the face with enough force to cause the chair to rock backwards.

"Ow that hurt. Bit of pain, neural surge. Just what I needed. Thank you." The Doctor rubbed his face.

"Why am I the Impossible Girl?" Clara asked.

"Not the time," Aderyn said quickly "What are the stakes in the game?"

"Well, if he wins I give up my mind and he gets access to all my memories, along with knowledge of time travel. But, if I win, he'll break his promises to get out of my head and then kill us all anyway." The Doctor said casually.

Clara missed Aderyn's half smile, but the Doctor didn't. However, Clara left him no time to question it.

"Please tell me you can fix whatever happened to the children."

The Doctor nodded "Children. Yeah. They're fine. I mean, right now their brains are just in stand by mode. Right now they have a much better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do."

Aderyn sighed "He's not staying in control for very long." She muttered to Clara.

"Isn't he?"

The Cyber-Doctor grinned "Not at all. It's me, Cyberplanner. Mister Clever. Now, if you don't mind, I have a chess game to finish, and you have to die, pointlessly and very far from home. Toodle-oo."

Knowing they weren't going to get any further, they left the Doctor to play his chess game.


	29. I'm Going to Slap You Again

Clara paced in front of the castle, Aderyn stared up at it.

"Apparently there are more Cybermen on the way." Clara muttered.

Brains looked down at the gun. Without really needing to say anything, everyone had decided it was better to have it at all times "There's at least a dozen more shots left in the gun before it needs to recharge."

"We are going to need far more then a dozen shots," Aderyn said. She then suddenly pointed up to the castle "What's that cable?"

"Power cable for the park." Porridge said.

Aderyn suddenly smiled "We unhook then end, drop it in the moat and turn it on."

"Would that work?" Brains squeaked nervously. For some reason, he appeared far more nervous and uncertain of himself when it came to Aderyn. Clara didn't see why, but then again, Clara didn't see the strange look in Aderyn's eyes.

"Can Cybermen fly?" Aderyn asked. Brains shook his head "Well then, I think that's the first bit of good news we've had all day."  
_

The Doctor considered the chess board in front of him. He knew he had to come up with something. He knew the Cyberplanner would kill him anyway. And, although that bothered him a little, he also knew that the Cyberplanner would kill Clara and Aderyn. Clara had died twice already because of him. He couldn't fail them now. He had spent so much of his time making sure Aderyn was ok. And there was something wrong with Aderyn. He had seen it in her eyes. She hadn't pushed him away when he had got close to her face. He had definitely seen it then. There had been something there that wasn't Aderyn. He needed to sort that out. But he had to be careful of what, and how, he planned to stop the Cyberplanner. He hated to admit it but he really had no idea exactly how much of his mind the Cyberplanner had access to. Whatever he did, he couldn't give anything away to the Planner. Then he felt a sudden, deep jolt. He was again found himself staring at the Cyber-Doctor.

"I felt that." He snapped.

The Cyber-Doctor grinned mercilessly at him "Of course you did. It's time to get up. Wakey, wakey, boys and girls. Wakey, wakey." He said quietly.

From across various parts of the park and space, Cybermen began to wake.  
_

Clara had long given up trying to solve the mystery that was Aderyn's current odd behaviour. She instead, left Aderyn to do whatever she wanted. She wasn't getting in her way. Aderyn had walked back into the castle, saying she wanted to see how the Doctor was getting on. Clara hadn't seen her since. But she had more important things to worry about. She was looking over the dark park when Porridge handed a small, metal cup to her. She looked down at it. Through the steam wafting up from it, she saw tea. She took it gratefully.

"Get that down you. It'll warm you up." Porridge said kindly.

They both stood in silence, enjoying the heat of the tea and the odd beauty of the abandoned park when a shout made them turn.

"Clara. Oi, Clara."

Clara turned back to the castle when she heard the Doctor shout. Clara sighed "I'll see what he wants."

When she went to the Doctor, he was gesticulating wildly at Aderyn, who was stood by the door, staring at the floor. Clara nudged her then pointed at the Doctor.

Aderyn looked over at the Doctor with a glazed expression.

The Doctor smiled at her "Back with us at last. Now, quick rundown. What's our weapons strength?"

Aderyn surveyed him quizzically "One big gun, five of those hand-pulser units and a shiny black bomb that implodes the planet."

The Doctor's smile broadened "Yeah. Yeah, that one. Now, tell me, does it happen possibly to have a remote triggery thing?"

Aderyn nodded and took the trigger unit from her pocket, approaching the restrained Doctor.

"Brilliant. Pass it here." She held it out towards the Doctor, but as he reached for it, she pulled it away from him.

"No."

The Doctor looked offended "Why not?"

Aderyn shrugged "In case you're not you. Or even if you are, just in case."

"Oh don't worry. The Cyberplanner's hibernating between moves right now," The Doctor held his finger to his lips "Shush."

Aderyn crossed her arms "Prove you're you. Tell me something only the Doctor knows."

The Doctor's eyes found the table and he smiled a half smile before looking up at Aderyn. She was stood close to the table, but not quite close enough for him to reach. "Addy, I suppose I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you right now. How funny you are. So funny. And pretty. And the truth is, I'm starting to like you in a way that is more than just..."

Aderyn grimaced "That's disturbing on so many levels." She leant forward. Her hand connected with his cheek, leaving a red mark that was only broken by the streaks of silver.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Yes! It's me. That really hurt." The Doctor whined.

"Would have hurt him as well." Aderyn snapped. As she stood up again, the Doctor's hand shot out and grabbed the trigger from her hand.

"He's got control of the arm." the Doctor said. They watched, unable to do anything as the Cyberplanner brought the remote trigger down with alarming speed and force, smashing the trigger against the table.

Aderyn looked at the destroyed trigger then at the Doctor "I'm going to slap you again."


	30. Mate in Three Moves

Clara and Aderyn once abandoned the Doctor, leaving him to his weird chess game. They looked out across the park in silence.

"There's more coming," Aderyn whispered "I can feel it."

"We've got to do something. Defend ourselves some how." Clara muttered back to her.

Aderyn shook her head sadly "I don't know what we can do. We don't have enough weaponry to defend ourselves against an army of Cybermen. We've got one gun, five hand-pulsers and a planet smashing bomb that doesn't work any more."

Brains looked round at Aderyn, frowning "Why doesn't it work?"

Aderyn shrugged "Broken trigger unit."

"But you signed for that." Brains whined.

Aderyn rolled her eyes "Don't you think you're missing a headline? There's an army of Cybermen on it's way to kill us. There's more important things to worry about."

The Cybermen seemed to appear out of nowhere. And not just a few of them. Aderyn didn't attempted to count them. There were too many, expanding out beyond her view. One Cyberman stepped into the moat. It was instantly electrocuted. It stopped moving, slumped slightly forward but still standing. A cheer went up amongst the remaining members of the platoon. But it was short lived. The Cyberman stood up straight again. "Upgrade in progress."

Clara thrust the gun into Aderyn's hands "You're our best shot. Shoot any that get across. Everyone else take defensive positions. Porridge, stay safe." Clara and the remaining platoon members fell back into the castle. Porridge stayed next to Aderyn.

He clearly heard her mumble "Alice Ferrin. You should have destroyed the planet when you had the chance." He then watched as she did nothing as the Cyberman continued its walk through the moat. She appeared almost reluctant to pull the trigger. Though, at the last moment, she shot the Cyberman and remained unmoving as it fell backwards into the moat. "Staying out here is not staying safe." She snapped when she realised he was still there. He turned and walked back into the castle, turning back before she disappeared from his view, Porridge watched as she took aim again.

Aderyn soon abandoned picking off the Cybermen. It wasn't really getting her anywhere. She turned quickly and ran into the castle grounds to find Clara.  
_

Porridge had made it into the castle. He walked into the room where the Doctor was playing chess. He wasn't convinced this was the safest place to be, but he had to feel like he was doing something. At least this way he could help the Doctor if he needed to.

But the Doctor was struggling. A glance at the chess board, even by a novice, clearly indicated that he was loosing. And the Doctor didn't sound too confident when he spoke. The Cyber-Doctor seemed to have control of the confidence.

"They're nearly here," The Cyber-Doctor grinned "Now, you can take my bishop and keep limping on for a little longer, or you can sacrifice your queen and get the children back. But it's mate in five moves, and I get your mind."

The Doctor shrugged "Take my queen and give me back the children."

The Cyber-Doctor shook his head and smiled "Emotions. Can't you see what a foolish move that was?" He moved a chess piece, taking the Doctor's queen "You've lost the game."

The children lost their straight backed posture, both slumping forward slightly. They straightened up and the Cyber-Webley turned to face them, grinning.

"Welcome to Webley's World of Wonders, children. Now presenting delights, delicacies, and death."

Porridge was glad he was there. He pulled the pulser unit over his hand and ran at Webley, connecting the pulser with the highest point he could. The back of Webley's knee. But Porridge was thrown backwards, landing semi-conscious underneath the chess table.

The Doctor didn't look round at the Children "Angie, look after Artie," He then focused his full attention on the game at hand. He smiled slightly, a fully formed plan dropping into his head.

"Your move. But before you take it, just so you know, sacrificing my queen was the best possible move I could have made. The Time Lords invented chess. It's our game. And if you don't avoid my trap, it gives me mate in three moves."

"How?" The Cyber-Doctor demanded.


	31. Isn't That Worth Dying for?

As Aderyn ran through the castle she let out some more well aimed shots at Cybermen until the gun no longer worked. "I'm out of charge." Aderyn shouted as she ran up to Clara, the gun still clasped in her hands. But the situation wasn't much better here. They were quickly surrounded by Cybermen. Clara picked up a heavy mace that was part of the authentic castle scenery. Aderyn grabbed hold of an axe. Clara caught sight of her from the corner of her eye and mentally made a note to never cross Aderyn. She made a fierce and intimidating character, stood tall with her shoulders back, a large gun in one hand and an axe in the other. Clara swung the mace towards a Cyberman. But it was easily knocked from her hand. Clara couldn't help but notice Aderyn hesitate before swinging the axe at a nearby Cyberman. It was only a half hearted attempt to bring down it down. The axe was pulled from her hand and she backed away from the on coming Cybermen. Soon, she, Clara and the rest of the platoon were backed against the castle wall, the Cybermen reaching for them.  
_

"How?" The Cyber-Doctor demanded again.

The Doctor leant back in his chair and folded his arms "Oh come now. Call yourself a chess playing robot?"

The Cyber-Doctor leant forward and slammed his hands on the table either side of the chess board "How!"

Again the Doctor leant back and crossed his arms, allowing himself a moment of smugness "You figure it out. Or don't you have the processing power, hmm?"  
_

The Cybermen got nearer, all repeating the same words over again "Please stand by. You will be upgraded. Welcome to the Cyberiad. You will be upgraded. Welcome to the Cyberiad. You will be upgraded."  
_

Clara closed her eyes. After a few seconds, Clara opened one eye. She would rather die with her eyes open then closed, she decided. She saw the Cyberman leaning towards her, and the one reaching for the platoon member at her side. But one her other side, no Cyberman appeared to be paying attention to Aderyn, who was looking serenely at the Cybermen, a look of calm across her face.

Then suddenly, the Cybermen stopped. Clara nudged Aderyn, but she didn't move. Clara turned to face her. Like the Cybermen, Aderyn appeared frozen. Clara nudged her again and Aderyn turned her head so quickly to face her, that Clara jumped.

"What's happened?" Clara whispered.

"No idea." Aderyn said. Clara didn't fail to notice the look of annoyance that flashed briefly behind Aderyn's eyes. Aderyn moved suddenly, pulling Clara between the Cybermen then looking back at them.  
_

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked, suspicious of the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. I'm pulling in extra processing power. Three million Cyberbrains are working on one tiny chess problem. How long do you think it's going to take us to solve it?" The Cyber-Doctor replied.

The Doctor frowned "That's cheating."

The Cyber-Doctor shook his head "No. Just pulling in the local resources."

Clara pushed at one of the Cybermen. It wobbled, stayed upright and didn't move.  
_

"The Doctor must have done something." Clara said. Aderyn grabbed her hand and began to pull her back towards the castle.  
_

"You can't get to mate in three moves." The Cyber-Doctor spat.

"Three moves." The Doctor reiterated.

"You're lying."

"Want to know what they are?" The Doctor leant over and picked up the hand pulser that had fallen from Porridge when he had been sent flying under the table "Move one, turn on sonic screwdriver. Move two, activate pulser," The Doctor slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved his sonic screwdriver. He aimed it at the pulser before letting it clatter to the floor. He then lifted the pulser to table level. "Move three. See you." He thrust his hand towards the silver covered side of his face. But his other arm, and the Cyber-Doctor, had other ideas. His hand shot out and grabbed his arm, pushing it back down. At that moment, the Doctor was glad to see Aderyn and Clara burst into the room.

"We've got to do something," Clara gasped when she saw the Doctor. She became very frustrated when, yet again, Aderyn didn't move. "What is wrong with you?" She snapped.

Aderyn moved very suddenly and very quickly. In a few long strides, Aderyn was stood in front of the Doctor. She grabbed the pulser unit from his hand and slapped him hard with it. The Doctor slumped forwards, his hands over his face. After a few seconds, he looked up at them again. He grinned a goofy grin, no traces of the silver implants on his face.

"Just taking advantage of the local resources. Ah, hello. Can someone untie me, please?" He said "Oh and ow, by the way."

"I did say I was going to slap you again. You're welcome, by the way." Aderyn said bitterly as she untied the Doctor.

"What happened to the Cyberplanner?" Clara asked.

"Out of my head and redistributed across three million Cybermen right now, and about to wake them all up, kill us and start constructing a spaceship. We need to destroy this planet before they can get off it." The Doctor said as he stretched then ran towards the bomb, that had been left in a corner where no one would stumble over it.

Aderyn spotted Porridge under the chess table, struggling to get back to an upright position. She crouched down next to him.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello." Aderyn said.

"Give us a hand."

"We need to stop meeting like this." Aderyn smiled as she reached under the table and pulled Porridge out from beneath it.

The Doctor stood up from examining the bomb "It has a fallback voice activation."

"The Captain is dead." Clara pointed out.

"Why don't we ask Porridge?" Aderyn said casually.

The Doctor, Clara and the remaining platoon member, a young man Aderyn later found out went by the name Ha-Ah, turned to face Aderyn frowning.

"Why?" Clara asked, when she realised Aderyn wasn't going to explain without prompting.

"Well, he is the Emperor," She pulled a coin from her pocket "Found this in the park. It has the Emperor on it. Let's be honest, it's Porridge. And the same with the waxwork, except they made him a bit taller," She looked around and knew instantly that she was the only one who had realised this "Am I the only one paying attention to anything around here?"

"You've been paying attention?" Clara said slowly. But when she saw the Doctor throw her a warning looked she cleared her throat and looked at Porridge "Porridge?"

Porridge shrugged "She's right."

"So you can save us?" Clara said.

Porridge sighed "We all die in the end. Does it matter how? I don't want to be Emperor. If I activate that bomb, it's all over."

Aderyn flipped the coin and caught it easily "And if you don't, three million Cybermen will spread across the galaxy. Isn't that worth dying for?"

Porridge looked over the room at the bomb "The bomb, the throne, it's all connected. I just have to say this is Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, called Longstaff the forty first, the Defender of Humanity, Imperator of known space. Activate the Desolator. And it's done," There was a small beep as the bomb armed itself "It'll blow in about eighty seconds. Easily long enough for the Imperial Flagship to locate me from my identification, warp jump into orbit, and transmat us to the State Room."


	32. You Have My Attention

The state room was fit for an Emperor.

The Doctor paced leisurely around the room, taking in the vastness of it "Nice ship. Bit big. Not blue enough. Listen, there is a large blue box at coordinates six ultra nineteen P. I need it transmatted up here right away."

Porridge, now sat comfortably, if not awkwardly, on a throne, turned to a woman sat working at a console behind him "Got that?" He asked. The woman nodded and soon the TARDIS appeared behind them. The Doctor smiled at it fondly.

"Seventy six, seventy seven, seventy eight, seventy nine," Porridge breathed. Then a second later, they watched as the planet beneath them exploded "Farewell, Cyberiad. You know, it was good to get away. Good to be a person and not to be lonely, or Emperor of a thousand galaxies with everyone waiting for me to tell them what to do."

"Can't you run away again?" Artie asked.

Porridge smiled but shook his head sadly "They'll be keeping a close eye on me this time. That's what happens when you're Emperor. Loneliest job in the universe."

Aderyn was still staring out of the large window as the debris of the planet floated passed them "I miss being lonely." She muttered, thinking that no one had heard her. But the Doctor had.

Now that the Cybermen had been defeated, he had to get Aderyn back in the TARDIS so he could figure out what was wrong with her.

"Porridge, it's been a pleasure," The Doctor said cheerfully "But we really should be going." The Doctor, Clara and the kids moved towards the TARDIS. But Aderyn didn't move. The Doctor looked back at her.

"She's been like this for a while," Clara whispered "I don't know what's got into her."

Aderyn was no longer staring at the remnants of the planet. She was finding her reflection a bit more interesting. But not in a good way. She'd spent a lot of time on the planet struggling. She'd found it difficult to do certain things and had been sure that unwanted emotions had been visible on her face when she was not feeling them and had frequently drifted into a dream like state, only vaguely, if at all, aware of what was going on around her. Now she knew why. She knew why the Doctor had stared so intently at her eyes. But it wasn't her eyes she was looking at now. It was something next to her left eye that now had her attention.

"Come on, Addy. Let's go home." The Doctor said. Aderyn was the only one that missed the concern in his voice.

"No," Aderyn said quietly "I'm not going in there."

The Doctor took a step closer to her. She hadn't turned to face them. "Why? What's wrong?"

When Aderyn spoke again, her voice was different. It was deeper, clearer and she had an amused tone to her voice. "Oh she's clever this one," Clara and the Doctor held their breath as Aderyn turned to face them "Won't let me in there. She doesn't know what I'll do. My, my, this is going to be fun."

"We needed another one." The Doctor said, recalling what the Cyberplanner had said to him. He struggled take his eyes away from the whirl of small, silver cogs that framed Aderyn's left eye. When he looked away from her eye, he saw she was grinning. Clara thought back quickly over everything that had happened when the Doctor had reached the castle. She strode across to Aderyn and slapped her. Hard.

"I daresay you've been wanting to do that for a while," Aderyn said through gritted teeth "That hurt. Doctor, I need to be away from people. Somewhere I can't get out of."

Porridge had leapt into action and Aderyn was soon closed into an empty room. The Doctor had protested about leaving Aderyn alone, but Aderyn had protested louder and threatened. And so Aderyn was alone in a room where there were no windows and the only door was heavily guarded.

The Doctor pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Aderyn muttering to herself. And judging by the way her voice kept fading then getting louder, he guessed she was pacing. He then heard her hit the floor and her muttering continued. By the sound of it, even she had got annoyed with her pacing.

"I have to get in there." He muttered then ran to the TARDIS.

"Doctor, what are you going to do?" Clara shouted after him, then ran into the TARDIS.

"I can cloak the TARDIS and run her on silent. Get into the room then use the scanner to see what's happening. I have to know what's going on in there." It was the first time that Clara had ever heard the TARDIS land without the rumbling wheeze. And she had to admit, she didn't like the lack of loud noise. As soon as they had landed, the Doctor instantly busied himself with the scanner then stood back and watched as they had the perfect view of Aderyn, sat against a wall.

What the Doctor and Clara saw, was not what Aderyn was seeing. From Aderyn's view there was darkness around her. She was stood facing another Aderyn. But not the Aderyn people saw when they looked at her. This was the Aderyn that Aderyn saw when she looked in the mirror. This Aderyn wasn't as tall or skinny. Her eyes were a different shade of green and her hair a mass of dark brown curls. Her features weren't as angular and her face was longer.

"Ok, you've got my attention. What do you want?" Aderyn snapped.

The Cyber...what ever it was, smirked "You. Well you're mind at least. Once I've got rid of the rubbish that is."


	33. I Will Never Be Her

Aderyn frowned "My mind isn't that bad."

The Cyberplanner raised an eyebrow "Don't kid yourself dear. I will give you this much though, you are a genius. But I think you've got your father to thank for that."

Aderyn sighed "You know, I'm not going to give in easily."

The Cyberplanner smirked "I know. Another annoying Time Lord trait your father should have kept to himself. It's worse then the pacing. Though I did notice he wasn't nice enough to pass on the ability to keep things hidden. That would have worked well for you. Your mind is an open book. Anyone could use that as a weapon. And oh look," The Cyberplanner said innocently "That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Aderyn smiled.

The smile that was returned to her by the Cyberplanner, soon caused Aderyn's own smile to fade. There was a malice in the smile and the faint light in the surrounding darkness made the silver around the eye gleam. "Can't see why it won't. I've been in here," The Cyberplanner tapped the side of it's, or rather Aderyn's, head "longer then you realise. I know all your secrets, little one. You really think I can't do damage with what I've found out?"

Aderyn thought for a moment, trying to think of what kind of thing she could have let slip within her unguarded mind. She decided that it couldn't be anything too major, otherwise something would have happened by now...right?

"Honestly, I'm not sure what information you could have found."

The Cyberplanner rolled it's eyes. Aderyn frowned. Is that really what she looked like when she rolled her eyes? She made a mental note not to do that again. It was not attractive and made her look like a petulant teen.

"Oh my dear, you'll be surprised," The Cyberplanner said with a laugh "What makes Clara Oswald so impossible? The girl who died, and died again."

Aderyn's brow furrowed "I'm sorry but I don't think that little mystery would be able to get you very far. After all, I know that's information that was obtained from the Doctor."

The Cyberplanner shrugged "That's just the beginning. Lucky I don't need that rubbish. I've already got everything I need to bring down the Doctor."

Far from the loud verbal exchange Aderyn was expecting, this confrontation was just proving to be very confusing. She had spent so long frowning that her brow was starting to hurt. She rubbed her forehead "Since when have you cared about that? I thought the Cybermen were all about taking over the planet and all that jazz."

"Well yes, but the Doctor always gets in the way," The Cyberplanner conceded "But to get rid of him I just need to get rid of you."

Aderyn rolled her eyes, then silently cursed herself for doing so, remembering how the Cyberplanner had made it look "How original."

The Cyberplanner paced a circle around Aderyn, still smiling that eerie smile. "Give me some credit. I can still bring you to your knees." With that, it kicked out at Aderyn's legs, a foot connecting with the back of her knee. Taken by surprise, Aderyn landed heavily on one knee. Something had definitely cracked and as she stood up again, she felt her knee slip back into place.

"That was only one knee. Go for both. Try it, I dare you." Aderyn snarled.

"Ooo someone's a bit too confident. Learnt that from River did you?" The Cyberplanner taunted.

"Oh no," Aderyn said sweetly "Just from years of putting up with things like you."

The Cyberplanner put it's hands in it's pockets "Shame. For your sake I had hoped you would have learnt something useful from that wife of yours."

Aderyn mimicked the Cyberplanner, burying her hands deep in her pockets "Oh but I did."

The Cyberplanner laughed "And what could that possibly have been? How to be reckless? How to be a maniac?"

"Psychopath," Aderyn corrected "Maniacs are rude."  
_

To the Doctor and Clara the entire scene looked different. Whereas Aderyn saw the Cyberplanner stood in front of her, the Doctor and Clara saw just Aderyn. Considering Aderyn's odd behaviour, Clara was starting to think that Aderyn was having a blazing argument with herself. She span on her heel looking from one side of the room to the next. She even landed heavily on one knee without any vi sable reason. But the Doctor knew what Aderyn would be seeing. He knew that Aderyn would be seeing herself. Aderyn would be arguing with a version of herself that has a streak of silver on it's face. This would be a battle for Aderyn's mind. And Aderyn would not be able to win this with a game of chess. That was not her style. She would argue her point and get ever louder. She would fight her corner in her own way.  
_

The Cyberplanner threw it's head back and laughed "Well," It said when the laughter stopped "She had to have her uses. After all, she wasn't going to stick around."

Aderyn knew then what the Cyberplanner was trying to do. But it wasn't like she hadn't thought or heard all of this before. She had even told River to her face that she was a reckless psychopath. But River had taken it as a compliment. "Nice try." Aderyn said.

There was a momentary look of annoyance and frustration on the Cyberplanner's face "I suppose the most she ever taught you was how to be pitied. Though she may have learnt that from the Ponds."

Aderyn crossed her arms "Have some respect for the dead."

That was the reaction the Cyberplanner had been waiting for. The flash of anger, the sign that a nerve had been hit. "Did you ever think you were right?" The Cyberplanner asked slowly.

"About what?" Aderyn snapped.

"You. The thought has crossed your mind more then once. The idea that they never really cared that much. They felt like they had to stop you becoming Oswin only because that's what the future told them had happened," The Cyberplanner stepped closer to Aderyn "They made you stay with them at Christmas because River asked them to let you stay. They never told you the Doctor was alive."

Aderyn shrugged "They did what they had to do." She said casually.

"They did what they did for themselves not you. If you had become Oswin then you would have killed them. They helped you to save their own lives," The Cyberplanner leant close to Aderyn's ear and whispered "You didn't even help them. The Angels still got them."

Aderyn shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes "There was nothing I could have done."

The Cyberplanner patted Aderyn's shoulder "So you keep telling yourself. But they didn't really care about you so why should you have cared about them?"

"I did care." Aderyn whispered.

"They didn't. If you believe they did then give me one example of them doing anything for you that they didn't benefit from." The Cyberplanner muttered.

Aderyn knew what the Cyberplanner was doing, knew the Cyberplanner was trying to make her angry, break her down. She was aware of this. But it still happened. She felt the first tears fall as she spun to look at the Cyberplanner, all ability to be cool and logical forgotten. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you have to face the truth. No one cared then and no one cares now. There's no one to stop you becoming who you're meant to be." The Cyberplanner said in a slow, cool tone as though explaining to a child why they had to eat their vegetables.

Aderyn wiped her eyes on her sleeve "Oh yeah? And who's that?"

"Oswin."

"I will never be her." Aderyn roared.

"You already are," the Cyberplanner shouted back "You are one and the same."

Aderyn threw her hands up in exasperation "You know what, fine, whatever, do whatever you want. You win."  
_

It took an unnatural amount of self control to stop the Doctor bursting through the TARDIS door. "Come on Little Bird," He muttered "you're stronger then this."

"Has she really given up?" Clara asked in a whisper.

The Doctor held his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the console "I think she has." He said. He had tried so hard to protect Aderyn, had tried so hard to keep her alive, keep her safe. She was strong, he knew it. She had made the Daleks fear her, she had faced the Vashta Nerada, she had run through a forest of Angels, she had risked her life to give Amy and Rory a future...but no. She hadn't. It hadn't been Aderyn that had collected the diaries to change the future. That had been someone else. "Oswin." The Doctor said, lifting his head.

"Who?" Clara asked.

"Oswin. Our last hope."  
_

The Cyberplanner pouted "I thought you didn't give in easily."

Aderyn sat heavily on the floor, crossing her legs and folding her arms "Well this is me, giving up."

The Cyberplanner grinned "And I was having such fun."

Aderyn waved her hand as though trying to swat the Cyberplanner away. "Go and find someone else to play with. I'm sure the Doctor will provide you with some entertainment."

"Maybe I can be of some use to you?" A voice said.  
_

In the TARDIS, the Doctor suddenly smiled at the scanner "That's my girl." He whispered.

Clara stared open mouthed. Aderyn was no longer staring at the ceiling. She was staring straight ahead, an odd expression on her face. She looked suddenly resolute and determined. Her voice was different too. It was deeper and clearer and had lost the faint London twang of an accent.  
_

The Cyberplanner looked round, suddenly taken aback. It then looked down at Aderyn "Who the Hell is she and what is she doing here?"

The newcomer approached the Cyberplanner. She certainly looked like Aderyn. Except she was slightly taller, but that was likely because she stood straighter. Her face was thin and less angular, her eyes a steely blue. But this was still clearly someone who looked a lot like Aderyn. She smiled at the Cyberplanner.

"Oh and just when you thought you had found out everything you needed. As much as dear Aderyn would like to deny it, you were right in a way. We are one and the same," Her smile broadened "Hello, I'm Oswin."


	34. If You Knew Time Like I Do

The Cyberplanner stuttered a string of incoherent words before finally managing something understandable "Say what now?"

"Split personality." Aderyn said from her spot on the floor. She then took her phone from her pocket and led down, finding her phone far more interesting. Aderyn couldn't be bothered to care anymore. She had been hit where it hurt, and she wasn't thinking of her knee, now she would just let Oswin get on with it. Her own mind would be far more unbearable then normal if she didn't let Oswin have a go at getting rid of the invader.

The Cyberplanner grinned "This is going to be far more entertaining then I thought."

Oswin folded her arms and tapped her foot "I don't think so. For a start, you seem to think that you're actually winning. You're clearly not as strong as you believe yourself to be otherwise you wouldn't have had an issue with the Doctor. He's really easy to take down. But going for people he cares about is not a good idea. You get rid of other people and he has nothing to loose. So he will be more dangerous and far stronger then you could ever imagine."

The Cyberplanner was in it's element. It laughed raucously again "Look at you both. Good and evil in the same brain. Makes you wonder if the right personality is in control."

"But you had it easy with Aderyn," Oswin said "I don't notice pain. Pain is nothing. I am not scared. Scared is a super power."

The Cyberplanner laughed again "Do you listen to yourself?"

"I do," Oswin said. She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder at Aderyn "I wish she would though."

Aderyn propped herself up on her elbows and frowned up at Oswin "In case you're forgetting, I'm not the bad guy here."

In a voice that was a near perfect imitation of River, Oswin glared at her and said "Shush. You've given up so you don't get a say in the matter."

Aderyn slumped back down "I'll just lie here then."

"Do it quietly." Oswin snapped.  
_

"Don't argue," The Doctor said "Help yourself a bit. Don't start arguing with yourself."

To say she was confused would have been an understatement. Not able to see what Aderyn saw, Clara had become quickly confused. The Doctor had tried his best to explain. But that had just confused Clara even more. She was able to grasp the idea that Aderyn had two time streams and subsequently two personalities. Not even that had made sense, but Clara had accepted it. She had been told it had something to do with somewhere called Bad Wolf Bay. She'd never heard of it. And still wasn't sure she'd understood anything about Aderyn.  
_

The Cyberplanner laughed again "I can see why you hate this one, Little Bird. She's too much like River. No wonder you're angry all the time."

Aderyn didn't respond. She was starting to get very frustrated with how much the Cyberplanner laughed. There was no longer any need for the laughter. It had been most effective at first. The laughter had uneased her. But now it just angered her.

"Someone has to be like River," Oswin said "Someone has to keep her in check."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence." Aderyn said. It was bad enough the Cyberplanner was winding her up, she really didn't need to annoying herself.

Oswin put her hands on her hips and turned sharply to look down at Aderyn "Hush now. Like I said, you gave in."

Aderyn pushed herself to her feet, a new anger rising "You know, it's aggravating at the best of times that I have to put up with you. But right now I could do with a bit of back up instead of being dragged down even further."

"You gave in." Oswin reiterated.

"It's bad enough I'm being insulted by a soulless tin can. I don't need it from you on this occasion." Aderyn spat.

"Soulless tin can?" The Cyberplanner frowned "I'll have you know that Cybermen have evolved beyond what you know them to be."

"Of course you have dear." Aderyn said.

"Oh I do believe they have," Oswin said, smiling "They have battle plans. This one here barks the orders and send the others into battle. Meanwhile it sneaks around the back and hopes like hell it doesn't get caught."

"Well, it's been caught." Aderyn said.

Oswin shrugged "I'd go as far as to say cornered."

"Two against one isn't fair." The Cyberman exploded suddenly.

"Neither is millions against a few. You want fair? I'll play fair when you do." Aderyn shouted.

The annoyed glare from the Cyberplanner lasted longer this time. Now it was Aderyn and Oswin's turn to rejoice internally. This had been the reaction they had been hoping for. Oswin had purposefully made Aderyn angry. An angry Aderyn was a fighting Aderyn. And Aderyn knew this so she had allowed herself to rise to the bait. The Cyberplanner and Aderyn glared at each other, neither noticed Oswin back away quietly and vanish into the darkness.

"You are not in any position to talk about fair," The Cyberplanner shouted "You are not fair to other people. You force your company on other people like you think they should be honoured. You decided you wanted to stay at Paternoster Row, despite the fact you didn't speak to Madam Vastra about it. That wasn't fair,"

Aderyn didn't know what to say. The Cyberplanner was right. She hadn't spoken to Vastra or Jenny about how long she would be staying at Paternoster Row. She had said that she wanted to stay, but she hadn't actually asked Vastra whether that would be OK. She had just put her on the spot.

"What makes you think they even wanted you there? Every time you ended up with them it was because the Doctor took you there. They only put up with you because they feel obligated to." The Cyberplanner continued.

Aderyn sat down again "I won't stand in your way and neither will Oswin. You win."

Aderyn leant against the wall, her knees brought up to her chest, her arms crossed over them, her chin resting on her arms.

The Cyberplanner stared down at her, shocked. "I win?"

"You win. What ever you're going to do just get it over with while you can."

The Cyberplanner sat next to Aderyn. "You really believe all that stuff don't you?"

"What stuff?" Aderyn asked quietly.

"All that stuff about Vastra and the Ponds."

Aderyn shrugged "I guess." 

The Doctor and Clara suppressed a laugh as Aderyn slowly raised a hand, then quickly brought it across her face.  
_

"Ow! Christ on a bandy bus. That hurt. What was that for?" Aderyn exclaimed, clutching one side of her face.

"For being a total idiot."

Aderyn looked round at the Cyberplanner. There was something different about it now. There was something in the eyes that looked like...pity? But it couldn't be pity. The Cybermen didn't feel pity. But there was something there. On a human, yes that look would have been considered pity and just a hint of apathy.

"I suddenly feel bad for the amount of times I've slapped the Doctor." Aderyn muttered.

"I can't believe you believe all of that. Do you really think you'd still be at Paternoster Row if Vastra didn't want you there? Do you really think the Ponds didn't want you around? River liked bouncing around time and space too much. She couldn't be around all the time. Too many spoilers."

"If you say so." Aderyn sighed.

"I really do. It was Vastra's idea you know."

"What was?"

The Cyberplanner smiled, but this time it was a genuine, less maniacal smile "That you stay at Paternoster Row. While the Doctor was playing chess, the other Cyberplanner was able to pass on some information to me. Vastra spoke to the Doctor about getting you to stay at Paternoster Row. She wanted you there."

Aderyn couldn't bring herself to respond. She had thought so many times that she was imposing, that see wasn't welcome. She had never had any proof of that, but the thought had always been present in the back of her mind. There was still no proof that she was actually wanted at Paternoster Row. And the Cyberplanner could so easily be lying to her now.

"Look," She said eventually "You've won already."

"But I don't want to win this one," The Cyberplanner said in a guilty whisper "I was human once."

"Really?"

The Cyberplanner nodded "The Cybermen really have evolved beyond what you knew them to be. They found a way of turning someone into a Cyberman without using the body parts. They used the mind. They found people who were clever and quick and merciless, people that no one would miss. They then took out the consciousness and created the Cyberplanner. Cyberplanners mostly exist in the Cyberiad. We just provided the plans of action and jumped into battle only when it was needed. Like when we discovered that the Doctor and you were investigating that amusement park. There were six Cyberplanners to start with. But the Cybermen turned on the ones that remembered what it was like to be human. All that time in the Cyberiad, taking in other people's minds and then going back to the Cybermen, it was never going to last. I remembered what it was like to be human. I never really forgot. But I hid it. There was something I liked about being able to pretend, every now and then, that I was still who I used to be."

A voice in the back of Aderyn's mind, a voice that was Oswin, told her to be cautious. Told her that this could all be a lie. But Aderyn's curiosity had been piqued. "But who did you used to be?"

The Cyberplanner turned to face her, there were tears in it's eyes "I don't remember now. I just remember how I felt. I felt lost and alone and unloved. Just like you do. By the time I realised I never was, it was too late. But you still have time. Don't waste it."

With a sudden jolt, Aderyn was no longer looking at the dark expanse that was the Cyberiad, no longer looking at the sad face of the Cyberplanner. She was looking at a small silver insect that was watching her from her arm.

"If you knew time like I do, you wouldn't talk of wasting it." She smiled at the Cybermite. She held out her hand and it ran onto her palm. She took her sonic screwdriver out of her pocket, and with a hum of blue, the Cybermite stopped moving.


	35. Time to Start Listening

Aderyn slipped her hand in her jacket pocket and rummaged. After a moment, she produced a small, clear jar and put the Cybermite inside it. She screwed the lid back on and held it up to her face. The Cybermite didn't move until Aderyn rattled the jar. It wobbled and turned over, but when the jar stopped moving, so did the Cybermite. Aderyn stuffed the jar into her pocket when she heard the creak of the TARDIS door opening.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, cautiously sticking his head out of the TARDIS.

Aderyn smiled. "I'm fine. But I'd like to go home now."

The Doctor opened the door fully "Well then, let's get the kids and go."

The trip back to Victorian London was considerably louder then the journey to Hedgewick's. Aderyn's mood had been very different. She laughed and joked and even missed a few opportunities to make a sarcastic jibe at Clara's expense.

After Aderyn said her goodbyes, and the TARDIS had departed, she flopped onto her bed. She wasn't intending, or even trying, to sleep. The sun was starting to rise and Jenny would be up and about soon. She placed the jar containing the Cybermite on her bedside table and looked at it. She thought about her life at Paternoster Row. As she had hugged the Doctor goodbye, he had whispered in her ear that the Cyberplanner had been right, that Vastra really had wanted her at Paternoster Row. And now, Aderyn knew she had some awful behaviour to make up for. When the Ponds had gone, Aderyn had been less then grateful for their help. And Vastra had insisted she stay with them rather then go home after River had gone to the Library. No, she had really been wrong. They had cared. And the more she thought about it, the more she realised that. She had to make it up to them somehow. She never really had thanked either Vastra or Jenny for their help.

She heard Jenny walk passed the door, humming quietly to herself as she did every morning. The more she listened to her bustling around, the more the events of Hedgewick's felt like a dream. But even dreams were there to tell you something. It was about time she started listening.


End file.
